A Night to Remember
by StormDrake0100
Summary: A trainer lost in the woods when her Absol surprises her, One Shot, Pokémon x Human, lemon
1. Chapter 1

*******WARNING*******

**Yeah I kind of lost a bet and well this was the price. There is no way I am actually into this stuff so this is extremely difficult for me to even write. So yeah, here's your first and only warning, Pokemon X Human. This isn't a yaoi, thankfully, but if your immature and don't like hardcore lemons or animal on people action then please do not read this. I'll try and make this as tasteful as I possibly can but yeah a deals a deal.**

**I own nothing.**

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**A Night to Remember**

It was late as a young sixteen year old girl moved silently along the over grown path that she and her Lampent had stumbled upon. The ghost Pokémon cast an eerie blue light off of the surrounding trees making the young brunette shiver as she watched the shadows dance all around them. Tonight felt strange to her, the air was warm and rich with the scent of lavender, while overhead through the trees blazed the moon. It felt so close tonight that she longed to reach out and touch it. If not for the trees blocking her view, she swore she could have done just that. She yawned hugely making Lampent turn and coo at her for a moment before she nodded, "Its ok Lampent, but we'll need to find a clearing soon unless I want to sleep in the trees tonight."

The ghost bobbed happily making the shadows around them dance before floating off through the branches above leaving her in the dark, "Lampent…" She whispered loudly feeling suddenly abandoned. She thrust her hand into her bag unsure as to whose poke ball she had grabbed, it being far too dark to see, and summoned yet another of her Pokémon. In a flash of red light her faithful Absol stood, his white fur catching the tiny rays of moon light as they fell through the leaves. With a sigh she felt instantly better, Absol had been her first Pokémon from when she was a small girl. The Pokémon had found her after she had fallen into a hole and broken her arm when she was five and had stayed by her side ever since. "Absol, Lampent ran off again as usual and I can't see, hey…" She had started to approach her Pokémon when he darted away from her. "Absol that isn't funny, I ow…" She tripped over a protruding tree root and hurt her ankle. "Dang…" She cursed softly as she rubbed at her sore ankle, and turned to see her Absol sitting next to her. She retch up to stroke his long soft mane only to freeze when she heard him growling softly. "Absol…?"

His usually soft fur felt sticky and matted to her as she finally worked up the nerve to touch him. She knew he could get moody once in a while but tonight something about her Pokémon was a little off and for the first time it scared her. A happy cry from Lampent startled them both as his warm blue candle light returned. Absol stood and darted away from her again this time disappearing into the woods, "ABSOL…!" She cried as she tried to stand up and chase after her Pokémon. Lampent loosed a sad cry before turning to nuzzle his trainer's cheek reassuringly; he knew Absol would return, and so did she. Still her worry for him grew even as she limped into a clearing that her Lampent had found. With a sigh, she started to set out her bedroll and food dished for her Pokémon and summoned them each one by one, before going about and setting up a small campfire for herself. With Lampent's help she had a small pot of stew heating up for herself while she filled her Pokémon's dishes with pellets and sat back to watch them eat. "Riolu, don't eat so fast you'll get hiccups." She laughed when he started to hiccup and gently rubbed his back before scolding Zorua for making faces at Vaporeon. While Emolga chittered happily content to just eat his food. She sighed as she looked over at Absol's untouched food dish, and wondered where he had gotten off to.

She ate her stew and watched as her Pokémon played in the moonlit clearing. It wasn't full yet tomorrow night and it would be, and she wondered at its closeness. It was so big and beautiful, that she watched it even long after her Pokémon had fallen asleep. The dying embers of her campfire still glowed softly when she felt herself slowly begin to nod off.

She was awoken by the chill of early in the morning, and found herself surrounded by a dense fog. Her Pokémon were up playing until she hissed at the pain in her ankle. It was swollen and badly bruised; she couldn't even put her shoe on as she rummaged through her pack in search of her first aid kit. She pulled it out and examined the contents with a sigh; she didn't really have much for herself, mostly potions for her Pokémon and a few berries. She did find an ice pack meant for burns, and cracked it before placing it onto her swollen ankle. "Sorry guys, but I don't think we'll be going anywhere today. Have any of you seen Absol?"

They each looked at each other before slowly shaking their heads. Lampent cried as he floated over Absol's dish, it was still untouched from the night before. "I hope he's ok…" Riolu and Zorua looked at each other and nodded before darting off into the mist only to return a short time later with as many twigs as the pair of them could manage to carry between them. They worked with Lampent to build a small fire while Vaporeon and Emolga sat with their trainer to keep her company. By late afternoon the fog had finally lifted but the young girl's ankle still hadn't improved, if anything the bruising had gotten a bit worse. "This isn't good; I don't think I broke it, but…" She tried to stand up only to fall back down, her ankle unable to hold her weight. She pulled out her map and began to try and figure out exactly where they were only to give up in frustration. She had absolutely no idea; they had left the path well over four days and now they were hopelessly lost. "Well we can't stay here, if you guys could find me a branch that I can use as a crutch we might try and find a river or a stream to follow." She looked back over at Absol's untouched food dish and sighed, "He'll just have to catch up to us."

Her Pokémon scattered scanning the edges of the clearing for what she had asked. It was late in the evening when they returned: Riolu's stick was too short, Lampent's stick was too skinny, Vaporeon and Zorua returned with nothing at all, while Emolga returned with nuts. She laughed happily and thanked them for their efforts and before passing out their dishes filled with food. After they ate Riolu and Lampent restarted the fire for her with their sticks and ran off to gather more so that she could reheat her left over stew.

Once again as night fell it felt strange, a warm breeze floated by them while the moon slowly rose above the tree line. It looked closer than it was the night before. The scent of lavender filled their noses making everything seem a bit hazy as she watched the flames of her tiny campfire slowly flicker hypnotically. Worry seemed to be all she could think of as she wondered whether or not her Absol was alright, or if she would be alright, she had tried earlier that day to call for help on her Xtransceiver, but there wasn't any signal strength where she was. She closed her eyes, tomorrow was a new day and maybe her ankle wouldn't hurt quit so much. It was still dark when she woke up after hearing a soft footfall near where they were camping. Slowly she sat up and looked around spotting a shadowy figure just on the edge of the clearing, "Absol…?" She whispered waking up her other Pokémon; she summoned them back into their poke balls and gathered her things before trying to stand up when the figure didn't move. "Absol, it's ok… ow…" she whimpered slightly as she struggled to stay on her feet and limped toward her Pokémon. He slowly retreated back into the woods just slow enough for her to keep up with him as she carefully made her way through the thick underbrush. His white fur caught and reflected the moonlight just enough for her to keep her eyes on him, but her bad ankle made it impossible to move quickly. Each time she stopped he would pause and watch her until she was ready to move again.

They came upon a small clearing with a massive weeping willow standing beside a handsome brook, that caught the moonlit as it gently washed over the it's stony bed. "Absol, this place is simply gorgeous. Is this were you've been this whole time?" She stubbed her toe as she stepped across the small stream, remembering for the first time that she was barefoot. "I hope I didn't forget my shoes back at that other clearing when I packed up." She muttered as she sat down on one of the large roots beneath the willow and rested her head for a moment. Absol huffed at her making her look up at her friend as he watched her from a low hanging branch. His fur was still heavily matted and his eyes seemed to pierce her chest making her body tremble in response. She rubbed her arms feeling goose bumps form beneath her shirt before she carefully rolled up her pant leg and dipped her ankle into the chilly waters of the brook. The girl could not help but sigh as the cool water eased the pain in her joint and nearly jumped when she noticed Absol watching her intently from just across the stream.

He shied away from her touch but he didn't run off this time. Instead he moved to sit beside her, and would growl softly if she attempted to touch him. "Absol…?" she started to give up and pull her hand away when she felt his sandpaper like tongue lick tentatively at her outstretched fingers. His saliva felt sticky to her as his licks grew bolder and started down her hand, "Absol," she giggled slightly, "That tickles." She tried to pet him again only to have him growl slightly and pulled her hand away. He huffed as though disappointed slightly before moving to lick at her bare shoulder, letting his tongue dip just under the sleeve of her tank top. "Absol," she pushed at him a little making the Pokémon stand and step closer moving his tongue up to her neck. She squealed and shifted her weight away from him as he continued to push forward trailing his tongue up to her jaw and then ear. "Absol, stop it… it… uh… stop that tickles." She tried to push the large Pokémon off her smaller frame when she felt his fangs gently graze over the shell of her ear. "Absol…" He started licking again this time trailing his rough tongue across her cheek to gently graze her lips making her turn her face away. He easily followed licking at her teeth until she opened her mouth to try and speak, the moment his tongue grazed the roof of her mouth she shivered and started to fight harder to get him off of her. He had to step down on his trainer's shoulder and gently press his claws into her skin before she became still enough for him to continue.

She tried twisting her head away from him as he continued to lick at her mouth, his tongue lapping at hers as she tried to tell him to stop. Absol could smell his trainer's fear but he could also smell just a hint of arousal. She too could feel a slight dampness growing between her legs and simply couldn't believe that she was actually turned on by this, and tried to fight again this time Absol growled loudly before using his back foot to hook the waist of her pants and started to try and tear them off of her, "NO…" She screamed, "Absol, stop, please, you're scaring me." He glared at her for a moment before removing his back foot, and huffed at her again. He knew she was frightened but his instincts were clouding his vision; he was frustrated and in pain, but he knew he had to ease the girl's fear of him first. Absol whined softly before lying down on her careful not to squish her and licked just above the collar of her shirt. This time he let her pet him, though it seemed to only intensify his urges. Absol scooted forward a bit and started to lick gently at her jawline making his trainer squirm beneath him as once again he attempted to pry the girl's pants off with his back foot. When the fabric ripped his trainer started to fight again, this time he tried nibbling on her shoulder, biting just below her neck. The scent of her arousal intensified slightly but so too did her struggles.

Absol paused for a moment as a thought occurred to him, perhaps she was frighten not just of him but because she was untouched. He had never, in the many years he had known her, once seen her with any other male. He tried nuzzling into her neck whining softly as he forced her pants to tear even more. "Absol… no…" She pushed at his chest, making him bite her shoulder threateningly. The girl froze feeling scared, as tears escaped her big brown eyes. Absol turned his head gently and started to lick up her tears making even more fall in their stead. He tried to move his foot but only ended up finishing what he had started, before he stood and let her up. The crotch of her pants was completely shredded, as she looked down at the mess.

Absol whimpered slightly as he lay down and started to lick at her toes, "Absol, stop," she flinched slightly when she felt his tongue graze over her sore ankle. He was watching her as he did this, his dark red eyes pinning her in place before he moved up her leg nibbling at her skin through the cloth. She giggled slightly trying not to kick him as he tickled her leg, "Absol that, ha…" she froze when she felt his tongue graze the skin off her inner thigh and thrust both of her hands out to stop his head from going any higher. With a sharp growl Absol forced his face into her crotch and started to lick, making his trainer gasp and curl in on her-self at the sensation. When his tongue brushed over her clit she fell back with her fist in her mouth. He continued his assault even after his trainer had begun to visibly shake. Her quiet gasps and moans filled his ears as his own member began to slip from its sheath. Her body seemed to seize up and convulse violently for a moment, arching her back as she cried out around her fist.

The Pokémon slowly crawled his way back up toward her face still seated firmly between her legs as she continued to spasm from her orgasm, his member now completely unsheathed. In one fluid motion he thrust in making her scream and bite down on her fist drawing blood. Tears ran freely down her face while his member slowly began to expand inside of her tying them together as he began to thrust. "It hurts…" she gasped shaking her head as he licked at her face, a deep thrumming noise started to rise in his chest that seemed to ease her discomfort. Soon her soft moans returned more freely as he licked at her mouth, continuing to work his hips furiously. In an instant he felt his loins expand and his stomach muscles tightened painfully freezing him in place. His trainer's eyes widened when she felt his member growing even larger as a large mass was pushed inside of her womb slowly and began to panic. "Absol, no… no, it hurts… ah…" He bit down on her shoulder to keep her still whimpering softly him-self as the mass entered her body through him and began to thrust again forcing it deeper inside of her. She cried out feeling him reach even deeper with each powerful thrust of his hips. Her gasps were growing louder and Absol was showing signs of tiring. She felt herself orgasm again, followed by one last deep thrust, as Absol finally climaxed, filling her womb with so much of his seed that made her stomach bulge uncomfortably around the mass inside of her.

Absol shifted his weight slightly; the girl beneath him was completely spent. Her eyes were half lidded and her breathing was slowly beginning to even out as he tried to separate from her. When he couldn't he settled for licking at her face to help clean her up a bit before finally pulling his member free of her and sat back stiffly. His trainer tried to sit up only to cry out when her gut began to cramp. Absol was back on her, forcing her to lay back with one paw as he kneaded her belly with the other, helping her body expel the fluids within her womb. With it came the mass; that revealed it-self to be the clear membrane of an egg that slowly began to cloud over once exposed to the air. Absol let her wrap her arms around his neck and eased her up so that she could see it better. She marveled at it a moment as Absol sat behind her, and watched as she gently touched it. The shell was still growing cloudy and was extremely soft to the touch. Each second that passed however, it grew a little harder and just a touch bigger until she could no longer see through it and was roughly the size of a football.

She shivered and tried to bring her legs together only to hiss at the pain is brought, she would be more than a little sore in the morning. The girl moved, making Absol whine sleepily as she grabbed her bag and pulled out her pokédex and turned it on Absol. An electronic voice sprang into life as the device scanned the Pokémon.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. It is said that this Pokémon can sense a natural disaster through the horn on its head. While little is known about this Pokémon it is said that when the moon is closest it can becomes frenzied, lustful, or even territorial during this time, a trait commonly found in most dark Pokémon." She snapped the case closed and looked back up at her Absol.

"Frenzied, Lustful, or territorial, huh…" she pulled her pants off and threw them at Absol who shrugged it off and walked over to her sheepishly while she pulled on a fresh pair of underwear from her bag before pulling out her shorts. He whimpered softly his hips and groin hurt about as much as hers did, as she carefully got dressed. Absol tried to nuzzle her arm but she just pulled away and glared at him. He huffed a little before tiredly disappearing back into the woods while she shivered slightly watching the egg. Absol returned shortly after with her shoes in his mouth and a branch with some blue round berries on it. He was limping slightly as he placed them down in front of her as a sort of peace offering. She picked up the branch and looked at it, "Oran berries…? Absol these are for Pokémon, people can't eat these unless they're cooked."

Absol shook his head and took several berries into his mouth and smashed them with his teeth before dropping the crushed berries on her ankle, "Absol, ew, hey that… that," she froze when she looked down at the mess all over her foot and cringed at it but the throbbing in her ankle had all but stopped, "That's really gross but I understand what you're getting at." Absol seemed rather proud of himself as she washed her foot off and made a paste from the leftover berries to place on her ankle. "If you think this gets you off the hook Absol, think again." Absol whined softly trying to be cute as he crawled up to her and nuzzled her lovingly. "Hey, ok, ok, I'm not mad at you… just a little confused." He sat beside her and looked at her with big sad eyes, before gingerly licking the very tip of her nose, as he had once done when she was small, making her smile almost instantly and hug him. He nuzzled her gently when he heard her cry softly into his shoulder. All he wanted to say was how sorry he was that he couldn't stay away from her no matter how hard he tried, and to tell her just how much he truly loved her.

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**In my opinion, this really sucks… and I can't really believe I actually kept my word and wrote this smutty… yuck. But I tried playing off of the Love is Blind, in order to even write this, so I am my own worst critic and will say that I have read worse. This is pretty close though… **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright I put a poll up for a short period of time and well here's the result another chapter. There is no smut in this one, just a bit of fluff to aid in building a story line. Please Read and Review, perhaps in the next chapter or so there'll be a bit more action. **

**I own nothing…**

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**A Night to Remember**

When morning came, Absol found his trainer stretched out along his side and had to resist the urge to lick the girl's cheek as he slowly eased his body away from hers, careful as not to wake her. He stretched feeling stiff in both his back and loins and made his way over toward the tiny stream to sit in the cool waters, letting them wash over his groin before rolling to wash away the stickiness in his fur. The Pokémon drank greedily before finally turning his attention on the long forgotten egg they had created the prior night and carefully approached it with a huff.

The shell was over soft and a dead rotting smell filled his nose as he sniffed at it. The egg was no good and would never hatch even with care. Absol glanced over at his sleeping trainer before shifting the egg into the creek to be carried away by the water, affectively disposed of. It was not uncommon for an egg to be birthed dead nor was it uncommon for the male to dispose of it, but worry seemed to cling to the very edges of his mind. His mate wasn't a Pokémon, but a human instead. She did not have the sturdiness of a female of his same species and a bad egg could affect her in ways he couldn't even imagine. She had not tasted sour to him the night before; Absol carefully approached his trainer and sniffed at her groin, filling his nostrils with a coppery scent mixed strongly with that of his own and hers. Her smell was as sweet as he remembered and had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from licking a wet spot into her shorts. With a grunt he returned to the creek to soak and cool his heated loins.

A twig snapped, making the Pokémon jump and end his bath quickly shaking the water from his fur as he stepped around the tree to investigate the noise. A trainer stumbled into one of the many large bushes that surrounded the clearing. His shirt snagged on the brambles while his Lucario attempted to untangle the helpless young man. Absol growled quietly bringing the boy's attention on him before he fell into the glen. Lucario seemed used to this as he stepped around his trainer and placed himself between the boy and Absol. "Oh, wow… an Absol," The young trainer stood and pulled out his pokédex to scan the Pokémon before him. "Absol, the disaster Pokémon," he read aloud, "Nice, Lucario, you know what to do. Use Thunderpunch…"

The boy's Pokémon grunted an acknowledgement before darting forward to strike the dark Pokémon before him. Absol didn't move, as Lucario closed in, electricity crackling off his fist only to get decked as his opponent countered with a Sucker Punch of his own. Lucario landed easily wiping his sore cheek with a growl, while Absol smirked. "Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Shouted the boy making Absol growl and look over his shoulder for a brief moment before taking the full attack without flinching. He turned his head using his horn to deflect the next two attacks before summoning a dark aura around it and slashing at his opponent forcing Lucario to dodge and strike at him again. Absol was growing impatient, his back was sore and his trainer was beginning to stir, in a fit rage he lifted his head and lit the entire clearing up with a powerful jet of flame, forcing the boy to curse and leap for cover. The attack took Lucario off guard burning the Pokémon's arm as he too darted for cover. With a snort the dark Pokémon turned his head when he heard a soft groan from the other side of the tree, only to have a poke ball bounce off his shoulder and land on the ground. He growled fiercely at the boy before stepping on the ball and crushing it with his weight.

"Absol…?" The shocked boy looked up at the tree for a moment forgetting the angry Pokémon that stood before him.

"Um, hello…" the boy took a step forward only to earn himself another growl that served as a reminder of his current predicament. "Ah, ha… Nice Absol, sorry I thought you were a wild Pokémon. Um, I don't suppose you could call your Pokémon off?" Lucario stepped between them ready for another fight before the girl's voice returned.

"Absol, come here…" With a snort the Pokémon turned and stepped back around the tree to sit at his trainer's side. She was extremely sore, and used him to rest against as the other trainer carefully approached her. Lucario kept some distance, having already smelled the heavy musk that seemed to permeate the entire glen; his trainer on the other hand seemed completely oblivious as he smiled and greeted the girl.

Absol growled, he could smell the boy's attraction to his trainer and grew increasingly agitated. He knew the girl was extremely attractive to those of her own kind but that didn't mean he had to like them touching or even talking to her. "Absol, hush," she gently stroked his damp mane feeling his tense body ease beneath her fingertips. "I'm Alice by the way."

"Luke, and that's my Lucario over there. Sorry for attacking your Absol, if I'd known he was yours I wouldn't have tried to catch him." He laughed nervously before sitting down, every time he moved Absol glared at him sending chills down the boy's back. "Your Absol is pretty stronge, I don't think I've ever seen one as big as yours before."

"Yeah he is fairly large… for an Absol I mean," she blushed slightly before trying to move. Alice winced slightly as she shifted her legs, revealing her bad ankle to the other trainer. The swelling had spread to her foot even with the aid of the Oran berries.

"Gees that look's bad, you really should get that looked at."

"I will as soon as I can get to a town," Absol whined slightly when she tried to stand, and immediately shifted his weight to catch her as she fell. Luke stood and attempted to help until Absol turned his fiery eyes on him and growled. "Absol be nice," his trainer scolded, but he wouldn't budge even after she had managed to place her foot in the water.

"Your Pokémon doesn't really like me does he."

"He's just been a bit moody lately, and pushy." She shoved at him making the irate Pokémon step into the creek. He shook his foot off before turning and looking back at his trainer. With a huff he threw the rest of his body into the tiny stream sending water in all directions to make her squeal as she tried to shield herself from the spray. "Absol…" He got out and shook splashing her with even more water.

Luke could not help but laugh as he too attempted to dodge the shower. For the moment it seemed like the Pokémon was going to at the very least tolerate him, "We could take you, I mean Lucario and me could take you to the next town. It's not that far, we could be there before sundown." He put his hands on his head and looked back at his partner, "Huh, Lucario…?" His Pokémon huffed slightly before folding his arms over his chest only to hiss slightly at the burn.

"You really should pay more attention to your Pokémon, and put some ointment on his injuries. If you like I have some Rawst Berries in my bag." She scolded him lightly making Absol purr as he fetched her bag without being asked. He dropped it next to her lap and nuzzled her cheek while she pulled out the berries and a burn cream specially made for Pokémon. "Here, use this," she passed it up to the boy and sighed before glancing around the clearing for a moment. Alice turned her gaze back on Absol for a moment and studied the Pokémon for a long time wondering if the egg had been nothing but a dream. She knew the rest wasn't from the soreness between her legs but the egg was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow, this stuff is pretty sweet, where'd ya get it." Luke called after applying the burn cream to his Pokémon's arm.

"I, ah, sorry, what was that again?"

"The burn ointment, where'd you get this stuff it works really well." Luke turned to look at her as he replaced the cap.

"Oh, sorry, I make it; it's my mom's recipe, if you like once we get to the next town I can fix you up a small batch." She lifted her foot out of the water with a hiss and washed off the rest of the berry juice that stained her skin.

"That is really bad looking; I've got some bandages in my bag. Hang on; I'll wrap it for you." He handed her back the medicine she had let him use and pulled his backpack off before rummaging around for the wrapping. Alice gently lifted her foot and let him wrap her ankle loosely, while Absol supported her back; he had to fight just to keep his hackles from rising as he watched the boy work. "See, all better..." he proclaimed as she examined his clumsy wrapping skills, "Sort of…" He laughed a little feeling nervous when he realized that Absol was busily shooting him with silent threats. "Anyway, you probably shouldn't walk on that, do you have any large Pokémon that you can ride?"

"Absol's my largest Pokémon, unfortunately."

"Well, that's ok you can ride on Arcanine's back. Hang on…" he took a few steps back and pulled out one of his poke balls, in a flash of red light, the entire glen shook as Snorlax sat down with a yawn and rolled backwards snoring loudly. Lucario shook his head sadly obviously used to his trainer's antics. "Oops…"

"Well, that is defiantly one of the strangest Arcanines I have ever seen." Absol snorted before nuzzling her cheek, pleased with the mishap.

"Um, hang on, Snorlax return. Um… this one," he held up another poke ball and summoned yet another of his Pokémon. Poliwhirl… "No not you either…" The water Pokémon and Lucario exchanged glances before the other was returned to his poke ball. "I choose you… Zubat…? Um, I must really look like an idiot about know huh…"

"Well there's no rule against labeling your balls." She retorted, making her Pokémon smirk, as he lent her his shoulder to push against in order to stand up. He let her sit on his back and stepped over to the struggling trainer. "Absol is actually fairly strong," She shifted her bag as he huffed at the boy and started off through the forest, with Luke and Lucario trailing behind. "I hope I'm not too heavy for you Absol." She whispered as her Pokémon slowly navigated the twisting roots and bushes that littered the path. Absol huffed in reply, if she hadn't been a petite young girl he might have had some trouble, but she was light and hardly a burden, but his tussle with Lucario had made him stiff and unable to move quickly.

At noon they rested on the high banks of a stream beneath a lush apple tree. Alice called out her Pokémon and set out their food while they played in the water. Emolga seemed content to munch on the little green apples while Riolu got into the habit of mimicking Lucario, and was shortly joined by Zorua who mimicked his friend by casting an illusion. Alice and Luke both laughed when Lucario finally lost his cool and chased the pair down the hill. Absol rested against his trainer, not wanting to stray from her side. Once the others where finished goofing around they joined their trainers for lunch, Absol however, refused to eat once again. Lampent cooed at his fellow Pokémon and frowned.

"You make her worry, when you do this," he offered munching happily on his lunch. To the humans his words were mere sounds of delight, while Absol snorted and looked away. He wasn't eating to keep his energy low; if he were unable to control his sexual urges toward the girl again, he didn't want to accidentally injure his trainer in a fit of lust. Or hurt her new friend whenever the boy touched his trainer's hand accidentally when handing her a sandwich. He had to fight the urge to growl, choosing instead to glare at the boy, to help vent his frustration.

"So how long have you had your Absol?" Luke asked as he watched the dark Pokémon glare at him again. "He seems like kind of an off the wall sort of choice for a Pokémon."

"I've known Absol for a very long time. He's the one that found me after I fell and hurt my arm. I'd be dead if not for him, and I…" she paused feeling her cheeks heat up as memories of the night before flooded back into her memory, "And we've been a team ever since." She finished feeling a bit embarrassed.

Absol stood up finally and headed down to throw himself into the stream, "Absol…?" Vaporeon stood up and gently crawled into his trainer's lap to keep the girl from following the dark Pokémon, as he jumped into the water. It was cold and helped him clear his head of the slight hint of his trainer's arousal that had assaulted his nose, "I guess he just wanted to go for a swim…?" She laughed a little as she scratched under Vaporeon's chin making him coo softly. "So how long have you and Lucario been together?"

"Oh him, I caught him as a Riolu about two years ago. We've been training really hard to compete in the Pokémon Boxing Tournament. My brother's Medicham it the reigning champion." He took another bite, "Hey you could enter your Riolu in the lightweight division." Riolu jumped up pretending to be a body builder making his trainer laugh as Lampent slipped away to float down to his friend Absol. The dark Pokémon had finally crawled out of the water and shaken most of the water from his body.

"You ok…?" Lampent cooed making his friend turn with a huff. The ghost was well in tune with both his trainer and his friend, even if he was a bit absentminded from time to time. He and the other Pokémon already knew, just from the slight perfume that still lingered around the girl. Lampent had been Alice's partner almost as long as Absol had, and knew how much his friend struggled with his relationship with their trainer. He'd been in love with the girl the first time he had ever met her, and the day she turned thirteen, Absol's struggles intensified as he continued to try being just friends with the girl. An attempt that failed miserably, Lampent could tell that the girl was trying to focus on other things to try and push last night's incident out of her mind.

"I lost control…" Absol huffed slightly before licking at his fur to try and dry himself.

"Yeah… geez, you know I bet she'd make one hell of a Pokémon. An Absol with her curvy hips, and a lovely short mane to frame her beautiful smile and…" Lampent cried out as he avoided a sudden spray of water. He started laughing when he realized that Absol had jumped back into the stream. When he crawled back out Lampent floated closer, "Just be wary my friend. Oh and so that you know, you're not the only one who loves her. If you do any harm to her I'll roast your nuts and feed them to Emolga." He replied cheerfully as he made his way back up to his trainer. Even though Alice was completely oblivious to what was said her Pokémon's cheerful cry made her smile.

Absol sighed gazing up at his trainer's face; she truly did have a pretty smile for a human.

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**No comment… Please Read and Review and no Flames, I'm hard on myself as it is.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok this one has some action in it; also it's a little dark, just a heads up…**

…

**A Night to Remember**

It was late in the evening when they finally arrived at the Pokémon center. The sun had pained the sky a brilliant red as it slowly descended beneath the horizon. Absol was ready to crawl into a closet and pass out, much too exhausted to be concerned with the rising moon. He'd be able to sleep through the annoying itch that was slowly beginning to build in his groin.

"Well, thank goodness we made it." Alice sighed before trying to get off her Pokémon's back. Absol growled slightly before shifting his weight to keep her in place. The girl squeaked, "Absol I think I can walk now we're here." Absol ignored her complaint with a grunt, after hearing the boy chuckle behind them. The Pokémon was much too tired, sore, and frustrated with the pheromone factory following them to put up with a disagreeable trainer.

"I don't think your Absol's listening to you," Luke chuckled lightly before they entered the center. He darted around the pair in order to explain the comical couple behind him, "Nurse, my friend there hurt her ankle, any way we could stay the night?"

"Well, off course, though I only specialize in Pokémon care I can take a look at your ankle. In the morning I'll have my doctor friend come and take a look at it." Nurse Joy smiled happily as she stepped around the counter with Audino happily skipping behind her. Absol growled slightly making the nurse smile brightly, "It's alright Absol, we'll take good care of you and your Trainer." She quickly glanced at the dark Pokémon and motioned with her hand, "Follow me please." She led the group down through a door that connected to a circular hallway. It wrapped around a large arboretum where various kinds of Pokémon could be seen playing in the round space, "We specialize in relaxation and exercise here," Nurse Joy replied, "Because of the city, there really isn't many places for a Pokémon to go just to get away from it all, so we provide a daycare service for trainers who are too busy with work and stuff." She paused to open a door and motioned for Absol to step inside. "The second door there will be your room, young man. Thankfully it's the off season so we have rooms to spear." She smiled when Luke nodded and followed Absol inside. "If you could just have a seat on the bed dear," Joy flicked the switch on illuminating the single bed and T.V. sitting on top of a dresser. "I can take a look at your ankle." Absol finally allowed the girl off his back before sitting down to survey the room.

There were two other doors that caught his curiosity as he stood up and tested one, pushing it open easily with his paw. In the dark he could make out a sink, toilet, and small shower space, before he backed up and glanced at his trainer when he heard her hiss. The nurse had the wrappings off and was examining the injury. It looked better today but she had also been forced to stay off it, which explained why the swelling was no longer making her heel look like a tennis ball. He slowly moved over to the other door and eased it open to discover a small closet. He yawned hugely before stepping into the little space and curling up so that his could see the bed through the sliding wooden door.

"There we go," Joy said as she finished rewrapping the girl's foot, "I'll get you an ice pack to put on it, though I don't think you broke it, just a really bad sprain."

She made to stand when the girl stopped her, "Um, Nurse Joy… My Absol's been acting weird…"

"Weird like how…?"

Alice blushed suddenly, "Um, well he's not been eating for one, moody, pushy… I mean you saw how he acted in the lobby, he usually doesn't treat people like that."

Joy frowned slightly, "Well, I can tell that he is exhausted, as for his temperament, it could be that he is just trying to protect you, with the moon being so big lately it is the quote, un-quote mating season for most dark Pokémon and can be an extremely dangerous time for a trainer to be out traveling. The not eating though…. That could be a result of pent up energy, or frustration. You could try giving him something else to eat then what you usually feed him."

"What if it's pent up energy?"

"Well, like I said it is technically mating season, he could be frustrated and doing what he can to vent his pent up sexual energy. Pokémon battles could help with this, or even rigorous training could help him vent his frustration in more positive ways… It should also help spark his appetite… you could try feeding him now if you like before you and him go to bed." She stood and pointed at the bathroom, "You'll find towels in the night stand, and I'll be right back with some ice." With that the nurse left to check up on her other guest.

Alice sighed as she tried to stand up. Absol growled slightly before starting to stand up. "It's alright already, I'm not helpless you know. At any rate I'm just going to get myself cleaned up." She scolded him making the Pokémon huff in frustration as he watched his trainer limp into the other room. When Nurse Joy returned the water was still running so she left an ice pack, and a plate of sandwiches on the dresser before turning her attention on Absol, who was dozing slightly in the closet. "Now for you…" She produced a small bowl and bag of moist Pokémon chow that she set in front of him. He sniffed at it slightly feeling his stomach growl as he refused the food yet again. "I'll leave it here for you in case you change your mind." The nurse made to touch him only to receive a harsh warning growl and backed off. "Well… I'm sure you'll be alright with a little rest." She stood and left closing the door behind her.

Absol sniffed at the food again and whimpered slightly before finally tasting one of the creamy meaty bits and purred. He shifted his weight a little so that he could reach the bowl better without needing to sit up to eat. He froze when he heard his trainer laugh. "I see Nurse Joy managed to get you to eat at least something." He looked up at her picked up the plate and ice pack before limping over to the bed to sit down again. She adjusted her towel a bit tucking the corner under her arm a little tighter before eating. She dressed in a fresh pair of underwear and pulled a nightshirt over her head. As she laid back however something still kept bothering her. The ice on her ankle helped cool it, the room was dark and quiet, illuminated by moonlight, but she just couldn't figure out what exactly had happened the other night. Absol had been extremely reclusive, avoiding her completely and then bam… and where was that egg? Had she dreamt it up… or? She winced, as the images began to flood back into her mind, it had hurt; the blood on her panties was no joke but the feel of something inside her… She bit her lip before sitting up to glance over at her Pokémon. Absol was sound asleep in the closest with his back to her.

She really didn't know what to think, she was so confused; how could she be turned on by that? Alice chewed on her lip before gently beginning to tease herself through her underwear. She started slow, rubbing at her clit before shuttering at the sensation it brought and began to play with her small breasts gently squeezing and tugging at one of her nipples. She could feel a damp spot beginning to form on her underwear making her push the garment a side to tentatively thrust one of her digits into her weeping hole. She shuttered, feeling the heat in her belly begin to spread to the rest of her as she thrust against the invading digit.

Absol stirred as quiet gasps filled his ears, the scent of arousal hung heavy in the air that made his nether region twitch in response. He sniffed the air tiredly before turning his attention on his trainer, the girl was so absorbed in her masturbating that she hadn't even noticed her Pokémon leave his closet to sneak onto the bed. She nearly screamed when she felt his tongue graze her clit and pulled her hand away to sit up. Absol continued his assault as he watched her with tired eyes. Her legs began to twitch each time he let his tongue dig a little deeper into her vagina in search of more sweet nectar. Alice had to bite down on her hand when Absol stated to tease her clit with his teeth. Each nibble earned him a delicious moan as the girl tried to block the sound. Her body was beginning to shake uncontrollably, thrusting unconsciously against the Pokémon's invading tongue. She whimpered softly when his licks became more forceful, as she neared her climax. Alice covered her mouth as her back arched feeling her body convulse finally. Absol, licked her pussy a few more times to make her twitch and jump even more until he was happy that his mate was completely satisfied. He scooted closer before resting his body on her hips his head on her belly as she gasped for air. He closed his eyes, he was much to tire to deal with his own problems but at least she didn't seem upset about this one.

Alice shuttered feeling the weight of her Pokémon pressing down on her and looked up to see Absol pinning her lower body as he slept. She stroked his mane gently and stopped when he eyes opened to watch her. "Absol…" she bit her lip again, "About the egg… I... that was real right…? Not a dream…?"

Absol huffed slightly before leaning into her touch. He was so tired, and started to doze off again even as she petted his head. Alice sighed before letting her Pokémon go back to sleep and stared at the ceiling. She didn't know how she felt about letting her Absol do those kinds of things to her, and she wondered what others would think if they ever found out. A twinge of fear struck her belly, what would her friends think or her uncle…? Images of the disgust on her friends' faces danced through her mind. She shook her head slightly, if her uncle ever found out he might hit her like in the old days or worse tie her up and let other Pokémon have their way with her while people stood around and watched. Alice bit her lip; they might even try and hurt Absol. She felt a slight sting in her eyes as tears threatened to fall and shook her head. No they would never find out, if anything it was her fault, she hadn't trained with Absol enough or come up with other ways for her Pokémon to vent his energy. She would just have to try harder… for his sake. She sighed slightly before finally letting sleep carry her away.

Alice felt like she was running, her feet hurt, and her head was swimming with the lack of oxygen as she stumbled in the darkness that surrounded her. A sudden scream shot through her ears as she suddenly snapped awake covered in a cold sweat. Absol lifted his head sleepily, and yawned; at some point he had moved to sleep at the foot of the bed. He looked over at her before getting up to stretch feeling sore from his exercise the day before. "Good morning to you two…"

"Morning…? But we've only just begun, Abigail," Absol replied twisting his head around to grin evilly at the girl with her uncle's face, his eyes bulging as his neck became to crack.

"NO!" Alice looked around the room suddenly wanting to run and hide.

"Easy, easy…" A strange voice entered her ears as strong hand pressed her backwards.

Absol whimpered softly as he placed his paws on the edge of the bed by her pillow to lick at his trainer's fevered face.

"Easy it's just a dream. You're lucky, Miss Alice, that Nurse Joy called me over here. You quite possibly have a hairline fracture on top of a sprained ankle. Explaining why it hurts so much to touch the imminent area or why the inflammation has yet to go down. You must have taken quite the tumble; anyway you should be alright once we've immobilized the foot. I'll also have a set of crutches sent over for you to use." The doctor sat back before getting to work on making a splint with the aid of Nurse Joy.

"Sorry, hun, we did try to wake you up…" The nurse apologized, "Even Absol tried to wake you. We were beginning to get a little worried."

Alice nodded before being made to lie on her stomach. The plaster was cold even through the padding and made her jump slightly, "Just relax, I'm only going to make a splint instead of a full cast, so you'll be able to take it off, just remember that it won't be quite as strong. You also can't get it wet, and I want you to keep it on for about two weeks. Are traveling or do you have somewhere you can stay that's local?"

"I was traveling," She murmured as she petted Absol's foot.

"That's alright; just turn the crutches in at the next town when you can walk again. I recommend a mild pain medication to help reduce swelling and discomfort. If you want something proscribed I'll need your medical records transferred…"

"No that's fine," She blurted out making the doctor pause in his work for a moment "I mean it really doesn't hurt that bad, so it should be alright." Once her ankle was properly splinted she sat up with a slight blush realizing for the first time that she was still dressed in her nightgown that barely fell past her knees. "Thank you for the help, Doctor…?"

"Henry, Dr. Roy Henry to be exact, then if that's everything, Nurse Joy I'd like to speak to you; if you'll excuse us Miss Alice?"

The girl nodded slightly as she watched them leave. Luke darted by and skid to a haul in front of her bed with a smile on his face, "Hi…"

"Morning…" she pulled her blanket over her shoulders feeling a bit subconscious."

"So, you're ok now right… you really…"

"Yes I am, just a stupid dream affected by a little fever that's all." Luke visibly relaxed as he made to sit on the bed. Absol however beat the boy to it and glared at him.

The other trainer managed to recover and laughed, "Absol, still doesn't like me, and after all the trouble I went through to bring him a peace offering. He lifted the paper bag that he had been carrying and pulled out a small box of doughnuts. Alice took it as the boy continued to dig through the contents of the bag and produced a box of Pokémon cookies. "Lucario, loves these," He said as he opened the box and offered the dark Pokémon one.

Absol sniffed at it before snorting and turning his head away; the cookie smelled delicious but the boy… not so much. Alice giggled as she took the cookie and offered it to Absol, making him cry in delight as he ate the delectable treat.

"Hey…" Luke whined as Absol looked at him smugly, making his trainer laugh even harder.

…

**I'm hoping that I'm not doing a terrible job so R & R please, and thanks for reading. I'm actually a little surprised at how quickly I'm cranking out these chapters. Not sure when the next one will be up though **


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, this chapter was an official pain in the rear, and was rewritten twice. I've also taken into account my poor grammar skills and have done all that I can to try and minimize them. You have my sincerest apologizes in advance if I've missed any. **

**I own nothing **

…

**A Night to Remember**

Absol huffed tiredly as he watched his trainer tossing in her sleep again. It was now the third day they had bedded down at the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy thought it was for the best and she seemed to like the company. He didn't object, it was good for his trainer to rest, but she had also seen fit to increase his activity level as well. The increased exercise and his irregular eating habits were keeping his energy extremely low. And it was rather refreshing to be able to sleep even while the moon was so close; it was also fairly frustrating for the dark Pokémon. His trainer seemed bound and determined to ignore her own needs in order to focus on his. As a result the girl was exhibiting similar symptoms to that of a female Pokémon being in heat.

Absol snorted at that notion; he knew humans didn't go into heat they mated year round, so did Pokémon. They were just friskier during certain times of the year.

Still it had become something of a maddening early morning ritual. Absol would wake to the sweet smell of arousal as it was slowly washed away by the strongly scented lavender soap supplied by the center. Once his trainer was finished he would be offered breakfast, and refuse it, then she would have him do choirs around to center to help the nurse. When there were no choirs to do. She would ask Luke for help, who always seemed to come up with some brilliant torture for the dark Pokémon. Like having him run through an obstacle course he had built from things he'd found around the Center, or tree tackling. He really didn't care for that brat and was not looking forward to swimming upstream in a race against Lucario again and if it were not for his trainer egging him on he would ignore the boy completely.

Absol yawned sniffing the air, and whimpered. Though the girl was not masturbating he could practically taste her arousal. She was once again ignoring her need and letting her sexual energies build up which affected her dreams. Absol was extremely tempted to tackle his trainer in the morning and mount the girl like never before. He lifted his head and glanced at the bathroom that actually wasn't a bad idea, if only he had the energy to stand.

His new work out regiments often left him with just enough strength to make it back to the room and flop on the nearest piece of carpet he could find, which was usually by the door, much to his trainer's annoyance. She didn't scold him when he blocked her path but he could tell. Moving around on those crutches was extremely taxing on the girl and often left angry red bruises on both the palms of her hands and beneath her arms.

Absol glanced back over at his trainer before slowly crawling across the floor toward the bathroom. He was forced to pause several times in order to catch his breath and by the time he managed to push the door open his entire body had begun to shake. Absol inched his way inside only to collapse atop of the fluffy blue bathmat that covered the cool linoleum floor. Only then did he let sleep carry him away.

When morning came Alice stretched before hopping the short distance from the bed to the bathroom, freezing at the sight that awaited her. Absol was lying in the center of the floor completely stretched out on his side. His long hind legs were pressed against the sliding door while his head rested against the base of the toilet. Alice could not help but laugh as she carefully knelt down mindful of her injured foot, "Absol, wake up silly."

She carefully petted the Pokémon making him groan slightly as he tried to sit up. Absol winced at his sore muscles and whimpered, unable to pounce on his trainer like he had planned. He huffed in frustration as the girl crawled over him to sit by his belly between his legs. "Do you want me to put you in your poke ball so you can rest?" She asked stroking his stiff shoulder. He snorted, and shifted his head to glare at her. "Alright I get the picture, you hate being inside that thing." Alice started to rub gently making her Pokémon purr and lean into her touch.

It wasn't as good as humping the girl's brains out, but he wouldn't object to a massage. He shifted his weight so that she could reach more of his back and before long he felt like Jell-O as she worked her way along his spine. He quivered as she neared his hips and stood with a yip. His hind legs were still very sore even as he sat down. "Come on," Alice replied as she hoisted herself up onto the toilet seat, "I'll give you a hot bath and let you relax with the others for today; that sound good to you Absol?"

He barked happily as he stood on the edge of the tub to watch it fill with water. Absol straightened easily bringing himself up to the girl's height to lick her cheer sweetly, making the girl turn and smile sadly. A look Absol, hated. He whimpered softly before attacking her face with his tongue. She squirmed on the seat holding her breath, until she felt her Pokémon nibble just below her collar bone and screamed with laughter. He knew every single one of her ticklish spots by heart and shifted his weight to attack the one on her elbow. In an attempt to escape Alice tried to hide her vulnerable spots. She hid her arms and bent forward only to get her shoulder tickled by the dark Pokémon, "Absol, ok, ok, enough I can't breathe…" She cackled.

Absol backed off and licked at his trainer's cheer again to make her look up. She had tears in her eyes from laughing to hard but they were void of the sadness he had seen earlier. "What would I do without you, Absol?" She asked sweetly petting his head. He huffed and turned his head as the water in the tub began to overflow, making her cry out.

There was a knock on the door making the pair jump as Alice shut the water off, "Um, hello, is everything alright in there?" Nurse Joy's voice floated through the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alice replied, only to scream when Absol jumped into the tub, "Absol…"

"What happened?" The nurse's voice was laced with worry as Alice started to ring out her night dress.

"Everything is fine if you like you can come in," Alice called; making her-self decent, as the door slide open. She turned to smile at the nurse, "I was just going to give Absol a bath; he got rather excited and started to goof off." Absol tilted his head before using his horn to splash his trainer with even more water, to make her squeak.

Nurse Joy started to laugh, "Would you like some towels?" when the girl nodded she dug several out of the dresser, and handed them over, "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I've got this, and don't worry about the mess. We'll get it cleaned up." The nurse nodded before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

After the bath, Absol basked in the sun as the other Pokémon played out in the garden. Alice was resting on a bench just within his line of sight as Luke worked with his Pokémon to prepare them for the upcoming tournament. The lavish attention his trainer had showered upon him had eased his aching body, but in return it had also frustrated him.

He had yet to see to any of the girl's needs. Absol would have to think of something to do for his mate, but what? She was simply too defensive around other humans and her temperament was extremely unpredictable.

The Pokémon looked up when he heard Lampent call out a cheerful greeting to him, as the ghost slowly floated closer. "Our, trainer seems to be a bit down, your work?" he asked as he bobbed in the air around Absol's head.

"No, though I noticed it too... Before the bath, she seemed sad."

"Sweet lavender hangs about her neck like an ugly perfume to mask the addiction she has of you. Her body yearns for your touch again and again; yet her mind is conflicted with thoughts she would not dare think to pursue." Lampent sung making Absol twitch angrily. Why did the ghost have to know every blasted little thing?

"Yes, I'm aware of that," he snorted.

"Aware of what…?" The ghost scratched his head, making Absol's twitching worsen. "To a human, you are a beast." He chucked lightly as he drifted away.

"And how do you suggest I change the girl's view of me?" Absol growled slightly as the Lantern paused to scratch his head puzzled by the question. "I can't act human."

"You can't… huh, well that is a problem, but why would you want to be human."

"LAMPENT…!"

The ghost laughed, "Well, use your head, and appeal to her human nature."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Absol snapped; he was beginning to feel overly agitated with his slightly audacious friend.

"I don't know, that's why I said it," he puffed crossing his arms as he nodded feeling proud of his intellectual prowess.

"That's it I'm eating you." Absol stood, towering over the smaller Pokémon, and growled, "Ten, nine, eight," Lampent spun around and rushed out of the arboretum at lightning speed before Absol could finish. "Threetwoone…" He called quickly purposely skipping several numbers in the proses as he raced after the ghost Pokémon, brandishing his horn threateningly.

Lampent loosed a terrified cry catching the attention of the trainers and the other Pokémon as the two tore through the garden at break-neck-speeds. "Absol, Lampent, what do you think you are two doing?" Alice's voice went unheard as the ghost cried out for rescue. "Absol, stop…"

The dark Pokémon either couldn't hear his trainer or chose to ignore the girl. At the moment he was one-hundred percent determined to do the impossible and find a way to shove his horn up that ghost's ass the instant he caught him. They made one or two laps around the exercise yard, hopped a few fences, and destroyed the homemade training course the boy had built. The other Pokémon scattered choosing to hide in the arboretum while a few of the braver ones stayed to watch the chase.

The dark Pokémon was finally beginning to close in when Luke suddenly thought he had a set and pounced on Absol once they passed him for the seventh time, attempting to break up the fight.

Absol had never been tackled by a human before, but the boy's light frame did little to stop his pursuit of the ghost. Before he knew it, however, he found himself not only dragging the boy but Lucario, Riolu, and Zorua as well. He was mad enough that it really didn't matter; his murderous thoughts were enough to keep the irate Pokémon from slowing down.

It all ended when Lampent floated over Snorlax, actually waking the prone Pokémon, who seemed to think it was a good idea to stand up right at that very moment. Absol meanwhile was in mid-jump and unable to keep him or the others from crashing and bouncing off of the large Pokémon's belly. They found them-selves flying backwards through the air only to skid to a screeching halt face down in the mud.

Alice sighed as Lampent slowly floated over staring at the tangle of bodies and scratched his head, "Lampent, what did you do this time?" She asked her Pokémon softly as Luke tried to get free of the dog pile.

Lampent cooed softly before shrugging and shaking his head. What a mess this was.

…

**R&R please**


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing…**

**A Night to Remember**

…

Absol sat, gazing out the window at the night sky. It had been a long day of cleaning for the group and now most everyone was in bed asleep. His trainer was resting with her back propped up against the headboard reading by the light of the bedside lamp. Her Pokémon were in their balls sound asleep while snores reverberated through the center from the next room. Alice sighed, as she set her book down and glanced over at her Pokémon. "Is he always this loud when he sleeps?"

Absol glanced at her before nodding, making the girl laugh. Usually, Alice was asleep before Luke had a chance to start his motor running. She could sleep through anything and so could Absol, if he chose, once they were asleep though.

His trainer groaned; she normally went for walks whenever she couldn't sleep, but her foot made it extremely difficult to get around. Absol, watched her for a moment; he'd been pondering on what the ghost had said to him earlier that day.

Though it annoyed him, his friend did have a valid point. He was her Pokémon and his trainer would continue to see him as such unless he managed to make her understand his feelings for her. The question that continued to nag at him was how to make her understand him. He could try to tell her by learning how to speak like her… He huffed, that wouldn't work; how would he learn human? Sit on his haunches all day and stare at that stupid box while she flipped though channels. He gazed up at the stars; appeal to her human nature, he thought. He had once seen a human giving another human a gift before, perhaps he could try that. He glanced back at his trainer and tilled his head with a whine.

"I know its late Absol," she said flipping the pages of her book looking for pictures. Absol huffed before rising and jumping on her bed, "Absol…" She scolded as she dropped her book. He jumped down only to snatch it up and dart across the room toward the exit. "Well that's a lovely thing to do." She snapped folding her arms, "Bring that back."

He snorted at her making the girl grab her crutches to help support her weight as she rose to deal with her Pokémon. Absol dropped the book, before scratching at the door releasing a soft whimper as she drew closer. "You want out huh…?" She opened the door, and picked her book up again, but Absol didn't budge. "What I opened the door you can go out now."

He looked out into the hall and then back at her as she started to turn around. The dark Pokémon huffed; his trainer was not cooperating, and darted around her to jump on her bed affectively making her stop. "Absol, I will put you in your poke ball," the girl warned. He ignored it and crouched down with his butt in the air, "Are you serious? Absol, it is twelve o'clock in the morning, I am very tired and am in no mood to play now off the bed." He shook his head before lying down to cover his ears, making the girl sigh. "You can't sleep either, huh." She hopped over to her bag and pulled out her pajama bottoms, "Off the bed Absol so I can put these on, and we'll go for a short walk." He yipped happily before jumping down to fetch her shoes.

They headed out into the yard, and for a time Absol let her lead, setting a slow pace as they wandered about. He sniffed the air before licking his lips. Something was in the wind and it tickled his horn. Excitement flooded his chest as he made for the edge of the yard in the direction of the woods behind the center. "Absol…?" He looked back at her before continuing toward the fence that blocked their path. "Is there something wrong Absol?" She asked as he pawed at the latch on the gate. She opened it for him and followed him to the edge of the wood, "Absol, what is it…?" Alice asked before cursing softly as her crutch snagged on a tree root.

Her Pokémon paused before returning to her side; he looked over his shoulder at his back as his trainer steadied herself. He whimpered to catch her attention and waited for her to sit on his back. She sighed softly before setting her crutches aside. Once Alice was comfortable they traveled deep into the forest. The girl felt nervous, the last time Absol had led her into the woods he had taken her virginity, and she continually found herself glancing skyward to see the sliver of moon that was left shining through the leaves. Her mouth was suddenly void of saliva; she could not help but feel a little excited as well.

Still in the back of her mind a dark shadow stretched across a wall, haunted her. She started to chew on her lip as Absol carried her further from the safety of the Center, until the pair reached a vast field of tall grass covered in white blossoms that swayed on the wind. The dark Pokémon licked his lips feeling excited as he pressed forward startling what they had thought to be flowers into the air. Thousands of white moths lifted into the sky their delicate wings shimmered as they caught the moon's gentle rays.

Alice gasped at the sight, "Absol this is beautiful…" she whispered, as the moths rose higher. Absol paused to look with a huff, the event he wanted her to see hadn't even started yet and already the girl was awe struck. He pushed deeper into the tall grass startling several wild Pokémon as he neared the center of the field. He let the girl slide off his back before he began to press the surrounding weeds down to make a soft place for them to rest while they waited.

He noticed her watching him and could smell her uneasiness until he lay down and looked up at the sky. Alice slowly crawled closer, placing her back against his side to see if he would do anything, but he didn't. He just curled around her body to provide support as she leaned into him, and continued to star gaze. The girl mimicked her Pokémon, unsure as to what she was looking for until… there…

Alice's deep brown eyes grew wide as a star shot across the sky. Soon it was joined by hundreds more just like it, making her Pokémon purr with delight. "But I though Absols could only sense natural disasters." Absol turned his attention away from the meteor shower to pluck a small flower he had seen while crushing the grass down and huffed at his trainer. Alice looked at him only to smile and take the tiny flower. Her cheeks reddened as she sniffed at the tiny blossom in her hands while Absol returned to watching the stars.

It wasn't true… His kind didn't just have the ability to sense disaster; they were simply more noticed during those events because they were attempting to warn against them. They could actually feel any kind of natural phenomenon: a change in weather, a shift in the earth, a rare meteor shower. Absol sighed as he watched his trainer continue to fiddle with the flower he'd given her. Alice was no longer gazing at the stars, and had instead pulled her knees into her chest, "Absol…?" She paused for a moment to sniff the air, "What is that smell…?"

Absol tilted his head, that wasn't the question she had wanted to ask him but he turned his nose skyward and inhaled the sickly sweet smell that had begun to permeate the entire field.

"It's kind of making me a little light headed…" Alice swayed slightly, her head felt suddenly heavy. Absol's eyes grew wide as mating calls reverberated off the trees that surrounded the field, Vileplume... He knew exactly what that smell was; it was a sort of sweet perfume that Vileplume released before mating, and it was intoxicating. "Its sooooo hot…" Alice muttered as she slowly began to unbutton her top. Absol turned his head; he could make out the sound of rutting off in the distance and loosed a howl to claim the area as his own, startling several smaller Pokémon, that had neared his clearing, away. Some Pokémon, even small ones, could be very dangerous when they became infected by the spores that hung heavy in the air.

Alice began to giggle as she tossed her night shirt aside exposing her chest to the cool night air with a sigh, before pulling her pants off. Absol huffed, as much as he was enjoying the show; this wasn't his trainer, or at least how she would normally act, and rose to fetch the girl's belongings. "No… Stay…" Alice wrapped her arms around his middle suddenly feeling drunk, "You're so soft." Her words were slurred slightly as she rubbed her cheek against him.

Absol turned his head trying to ignore her; he would do the right thing and not submit to his instincts and betray her trust. Alice pouted as she pulled her panties off and used them as a lasso to hook his horn, pulling his head around to kiss him on the mouth before rubbing her face against his fur just under his chin, "I need this…" she whispered as she started to toy with her breast.

The dark Pokémon froze as his resolve finally snapped in two. Absol growled deeply before he wrapped his jaws around the back of the girl's neck, forcing her to all fours. Alice squirmed under the rough treatment but in a way it also turned her on, and in her drug induced state she could not help but moan, feeding her Pokémon's lust.

Absol's vision became clouded; his mind turned into a muddle of hormone driven thoughts as he maneuvered around the girl to straddle her hips, her neck still firmly held in his jaws. His member was already fully unsheathed, weeping with pre-cum, and in one quick solid thrust he was completely buried in her unprepared hole. Alice cried out unable to move as her Pokémon began to buck. She could feel his cock swelling as her insides clamped down around his member with each powerful thrust. Her gasps grew louder as her arms gave out after Absol struck something deep inside her womb. All the heat in her body seemed to pool in the pit of her stomach as he continued to assault that same spot over and over again.

Alice was beginning to feel lightheaded and clawed at the grass, "Absol… no… it's ah, it's too much I… I… ah…" she screamed as her body was rocked by her powerful orgasm but Absol showed no signs of slowing even as the girl's womb clinched down around him. He yipped suddenly and released his hold on her neck as a familiar sensation halted his movements; his muscles contracted painfully as the mass was forced though him into his trainer's body. Alice could feel it rolling around inside of her womb as Absol resumed his thrusting, pushing the egg even deeper, and created a pressure on her stomach that made the girl squirm.

Absol's movements were becoming frantic as he neared his climax, and violently rocked his trainer's body. The fumes where finally taking their toll on him; his head was starting to spin as he sought for leverage with his hind legs doing his best to keep from clawing at the girl's bare legs. Absol grunted as he hugged his trainer's hips. Alice felt her body cease up as her Pokémon's hot seed flooded her insides forcing her to orgasm a second time that night, her voice already hoarse from moaning.

Absol's entire body shook, and after several moments he was able to pull free with a rather loud pop, before collapsing atop his trainer. The added weight of her Pokémon forced her to hit the ground, making her cry out as the sticky fluid forced the mass out, gushing out of her womb to leave her both shaken and exhausted. Her Pokémon attempted to move, only to pass out, pinning his trainer in place until the early hours of the morning.

Alice awoke feeling comfortably warm as she slowly inhaled the sweet smell of grass and earth. Her eyes snapped open in a second; why was she outside…? Her memory grew hazy after the meteor shower, in a panic she tried to rise only to hear a grunt from Absol as he sleepily nuzzled her shoulder. Alice glanced back at him feeling scared when she realized that she was also naked. Had they…? "Absol, wake up." She tried to move him when he didn't respond, "Absol, you're a little heavy, get off please." She tried to wiggle only to freeze; her groin, legs, and hips, were all very sore.

Absol yawned hugely before looking down at his trainer's back; realizing for the first time that she was under him, and jumped with a yip when his loins cramped at the sudden movement. He couldn't remember anything, but the smell in the air, the egg, the stiffness in his back all told the same story. Alice was slow to move also and looked around, putting two and two together in her own way, before rounding on him. "What the hell, happened?" She started to pull at her hair until she realized she was naked and cold; choosing instead to cover her chest feeling embarrassed.

The dark Pokémon whimpered as he limped over to her night shirt and offered it to her. Alice started to laugh as she looked at him; her pink panties were still hanging from his horn. Absol noticed them too, and shook his head trying to get them off only to make her laugh harder, "Ok, ok," she stopped him and removed the garment before wincing. "I don't remember what happened last night but I… I know we… did it…" She turned her attention toward the egg and touched its leathery surface. Her Pokémon stepped over to it and gave the shell a sniff, and whined softly; dead. "It's not going to hatch is it?" Her voice sounded depressed as she sat back, "Absol, we can't do this, it's wrong… I love you but, we… You're a Pokémon and I'm… I'm not. What would people think, and what about this?" She felt like crying each time she looked at the Pokémon egg, and shook her head, when Absol tried to lick her nose.

He glanced down at the egg before pushing it away, to dispose of it in the tall grass. When he returned his trainer was crying, breaking his heart as he watched her small frame shake with each sob. Absol whimpered and sat next to the girl, nuzzling her shoulder gently as she continued to weep.

…


	6. Chapter 6

**...**

**A Night to Remember**

The field was bathed in gold as the sun slowly rose, cutting through the trees to warm the air that blanketed the world. Alice sighed, finally able to face the world again as she slowly thought up a lie to tell the others when they returned to the Center. She was glad that her clothing was undamaged and had only needed a little aid to get dressed. Her body was much less sore then the first time but her back was still very stiff.

Absol seemed more than a little content to pounce on the smaller Pokémon that inhabited the tall grass as they wondered into their tiny clearing. He didn't hurt them just chased them off, until a particularly bold Zigzagoon bristled and scuttled after the dark Pokémon. Absol danced away, playing more than battling with the smaller Pokémon. Alice watched him pounce, pinning the Zigzagoon beneath his large paws before she cleared her throat. "We should be getting back, Absol."

He whimpered slightly, before batting the pinned Pokémon away, causing it the go tumbling into the tall grass. Absol, carefully approached, and watched his distressed mate. "I'm alright; the others are probably up already and worried about us." Her Pokémon snorted; she was not alright, and he could care less about the others. His main concern was for his trainer and her wellbeing; though the bad egg didn't seem to affect her physically, mentally was a slightly different story. The girl was fighting with herself. "Absol, come here and help me up please."

Absol shook his head and backed up, whimpering, he knew she wasn't ready to go back. "Absol," she tried to reach for him feeling tears begin to burn at the back of her throat again. "I'll walk back, I swear I will," She choked. Absol growled harshly, before pouncing on the girl knocking her over to pin her body to the ground. Alice kicked at him pushed at his side trying to worm her way out from under the dark Pokémon's weight. "Absol, so help me…" Hiccups interrupted her threat as Absol rested on her belly purring softly to ease her discomfort.

Alice rubbed at her eyes as she listened to the gentle hum, and marveled at the sound. He was singing to her; Absol's voice was deep, reverberating throughout his entire chest as he continued to purr. And very slowly the girl's hiccups died away. The song was neither sad, nor happy, just a rich sound that was joined by other voices from other unseen Pokémon. The girl turned her head when she noticed the wild Zigzagoon, Absol had batted at, return to the clearing, adding in a sharp squeak in time with the song. Others soon entered the clearing purring or squeaking along, until a tiny pair of baby Zigzagoons tumbled over each other playing happily as the song slowly came to an end. They crashed into a Linoone making him squeak and chase after them joining in the game easily. Alice giggled as the two ganged up on the elder Pokémon and tackled him.

Absol sat up, releasing the girl, so that she could watch the wild Pokémon gather around, curious of the odd pair. "Hello…" She replied when one climbed into her lap letting her pet its head. She laughed when several tried to tackle Absol. The larger Pokémon huffed as he flopped letting them climb onto his head as they played king of the mountain. Occasionally he would shake sending the smaller Pokémon tumbling into the tall grass. Absol, snorted gently as he lifted one of the smaller Zigzagoons up making his trainer smile as the baby Pokémon clung to his horn and loosed a tiny battle cry to declare that he had conquered the mountain.

Alice laughed shaking her head; the battle cry was hardly more than a squeak as the tiny Pokémon danced atop Absol's head happily. She felt better; if anything else Absol truly did know how to cheer her up. Last night was nothing more than a hazy memory to her as she cuddled the wild Pokémon in her lap, "I don't know how you managed this Absol, but thank you."

Absol nodded, remembering the baby Pokémon on his head as it landed on his muzzle still holding onto his horn, chattering happily. He set the tiny Zigzagoon down, when a sharp howl cut through the happy atmosphere and caught his attention. The wild Pokémon that had come to surround them scattered leaving Absol and Alice alone gazing in the direction of the cry. The dark Pokémon stood as it was joined by several more shrieks and shouts. He helped Alice up and took several steps back once she was firmly seated on his back. "Absol…?" Her Pokémon began to growl, in the distance they could hear squeals from the little Zigzagoons that had run for cover and a clipping sound. Grass could be seen flying into the air until a hellish howl sent a shiver down Alice's back.

Absol returned the cry before turning to run, his trainer hugging his shoulders to keep from falling off. She could hear heavy footfalls pounding against the ground as they neared the edge of the field. Fierce growls could be heard reverberating off the trees as Absol leapt over an exposed tree root and skid to a sudden halt nearly throwing his trainer. There blocking his path was a large blue female Houndoom. Her fur was matted and her eyes held a familiar crazed look that made Absol loose a powerful flamethrower in an attempt to clear his escape.

The female countered with her own powerful jet of fire causing an explosion that sent the pair sailing in opposite directions. Several other pursuers could be heard yipping; Alice could see a Growlithe pawing at his eyes, temporarily blinded by the explosion. "Come on Absol," Alice shouted over the ringing in her ears as her Pokémon recovered and took off in a different direction with her still clinging to him. He crashed through low branches making his trainer scream as they clawed at her face and tore at her cloths. Absol shook his head trying to recover his eyesight when a blue blur struck his side sending Alice flying as the Houndoom tackled the dark Pokémon, pinning him easily as her jaws tightened around the other's neck.

"NO…!" Alice screamed as she tried to hurry to her Pokémon's aid. Another Houndoom and a Mightyena blocked the girl's path as the Growlithe she had seen earlier helped pin Absol. Her Pokémon was fighting tooth and nail to throw the female off of him but her jaws continued to tighten until he could no longer breathe.

"Shale, don't kill him…" Snapped her trainer; a tall man with a sleek black pony tail who snapped his fingers calling off the male Houndoom and the Mightyena. "Abigail…? My word, I barely recognized you my dear, it's been such a long time. I don't suppose you'd remember me."

The girl glared at the man, as he beckoned to his men once they finally caught up "Men, I'd like you to meet Miss Abigail Alice Garth." He bowed to her sweeping his arm in a way that made his men chuckle, "And her Uncle's stolen Absol."

"Irvin let him go… ow…" Alice winced when one of the men grabbed her arm.

"Master Nicolas, it's finished; whatcha want done with these two?"

"Come now, Miss Abigail is our guest, and if she wishes to run with Pokémon the least we can do is accommodate her like good hosts. Lock her up with the others." Alice screamed as she was hoisted into the air by her arms. Absol howled, intensifying his struggles as he managed to twist and thrust his hind legs into Houndoom's gut, throwing the surprise female off him. He turned and barreled toward his trainer ignoring the Growlithe as he latched onto his leg, digging his fangs in to slow the dark Pokémon.

The man sighed before lifting his cane, shooting a dart into Absol's side. Mightyena tackled him easily as the tranquilizer quickly took effect, and knocked out the powerful pokemon. "Well, now that was quite the show. What an interesting Pokémon for a young lady to be traveling with; so much strength, and raw potential, not to mention dangerous. Though I doubt that would bother you after all you've made quite the name for yourself, haven't you, Miss Abigail, winning countless badges, constant training, if I recall you've even place third in the Pokémon League when you were what fourteen? Or do you prefer to be called Alice now?"

"Go fuck yourself you god damn bastard," Alice kicked at him as she tried to get free, but her captor nearly dropped her, forcing the girl to put weight onto her bad ankle. She winced at the pain, before her chin was lifted up by long oily fingers.

"Such language, especially from such a lovely young lady," He scolded, "You wouldn't want me to call your uncle now would you?" He bent closing the distance between them easily as a dark smile lit up his eyes. Alice spat in his face making him pull back and wipe his cheek off with a handkerchief, "Take them away."

The blue Houndoom called Shale slowly approached her master and sat to watch the girl dragged off kicking and screaming, "I'm rather surprised that Pokémon was able to get the better of you my dear."

The female turned her head and spoke in a smooth voice, "He is surprisingly stronger than he looks master. He would make for a good subject in your experiments," She tilted her head before glancing back at the unconscious Pokémon. "You are not angered by the child?"

"No, Shale, I'm not. Garth went to great lengths to keep that girl, and I want to know why." He carefully folded his handkerchief while his Pokémon watched him.

"You will not return her?" Houndoom looked back at Absol as he was drug off in the direction of the trucks to be placed in a cage.

"Perhaps… the bounty alone is most intriguing, on both the girl and that Absol." Irvin checked his appearance, straightening his collar and dusting off his coat, "Shall we my dear, after all it is rude to keep our little guest waiting." Houndoom snorted as she followed her trainer.

Alice bashed her fists against the walls of her cage. She twisted her frame around to kick at the wire door but the metal didn't budge. The cage was just small enough that she couldn't get any leverage. She pulled her knees into her chest, until Absol's cage was loaded onto the back of the truck next to hers. The bars of her cage were too small for her to put her hand through as she tried to pet him, but her fingers fell just short of his soft white fur. The other Pokémon around her cried out; the baby Zigzagoons cowered in the corner of their cage. The Linoone they had played with was stretched out across the floor of his cage; visibly suffering from injuries and burns it had received in battle while trying to protect the youngsters.

Alice hid her face; the men had finished loading the other cages onto the truck before strapping them down. They threw a large blue tarp over the captive Pokémon, blocking Alice's view as the tied the cloth in place. She looked up at the dark blue ceiling and screamed loudly, only to have a large object strike the top of her cage, making her ears ring. She tried kicking her door again; hurting her good ankle this time and earned her cage another smack. She looked at the other Pokémon as the truck started, "It'll be ok," she whispered. The two baby Pokémon crawled over to her and pressed their bodies against the bars. They were just close enough for her to pet them with her fingertips, even as they were jostled about by the moving vehicle. "I hope…"

…


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry about the wait, but this one took a bit to write.**

…

**A Night to Remember**

Lucario crossed his arms as he stared at his trainer's odd sleeping posture, and sighed. The boy was on his stomach with his face up turned while one leg hung off the bed; the covers lying on the floor. The Pokémon shook his head, before sneaking out of the room. Luke would most likely wake up, once he fell out of bed. Lucario paused for a moment, remembering the few times his trainer hadn't woken up. The Pokémon had returned to find the boy sprawled out across the floor still snoring before and had grown used to the child's odd behavior.

Still his trainer always meant well, and didn't have to be perfect to make his Pokémon happy. He huffed quietly as he started his morning walk, through the arboretum and around the rest of the Center. The Pokémon had explored much of the building during the early hours of the mornings since they had come to the center. Luke seemed happy to stay with the girl, which pleased Lucario to no end the boy didn't have many human friends, even if the child's Absol had made a mating claim on her.

The fighting Pokémon snorted; unable to really wrap his head around the attraction, but the girl's other Pokémon seemed happy with the match. The ring leader of the bunch seemed to be the annoying ghost instead of Absol, even though he was far stronger than any of them. Lucario shuttered remembering Absol's strength; he was the one Pokémon he did not want to mess with and could not help but idealize the beast's control. He could seriously injure his trainer, or kill an opposing Pokémon in a battle with the greatest of ease and yet he held back even when annoyed or angered. He didn't care for Lampent, but the others were pleasant enough, except for Emolga. Lucario shook his head as he rounded the corner; he didn't know what was wrong with that little Pokémon but he seemed a little off in the head, like he'd been dropped one too many times.

Lucario soon found his way into the egg room and purred at the warmth in the air. He liked this room, the heat helped ease tired muscles especially since his trainer was relentless in their training. He glanced around at the incubated eggs as he stepped further into the room; a motion sensor turned on the lights. The eggs varied in size and color, each rested on a purple cushion sealed inside a capsule awaiting their trainers return. He passed each capsule peering through the glass at the eggs before exiting through the door at the other end of the room to enter the lobby. He slowly made his way back to the hall that led to the arboretum.

The Pokémon continued on looking through the large windows as he headed back to his room, but Alice's open bedroom door stopped him. Lucario glanced inside to find the room empty; the girl's crutches were missing and so too was Absol, but her bag was still hanging from the bed post, her splint and wrappings untouched. Usually if Alice woke early she would let her other Pokémon out to let them eat and play, but he hadn't seen any of the others. He slowly entered the room, the closet was empty and the bathroom was dark; the bed was neat though, and smelled faintly of the girl's sweet scent. He touched the covers lightly, they were cold…

Lucario, turned and ran out into the garden, thinking that perhaps she and her Pokémon had gone on a walk only to pause when he noticed the back gate open; her crutches leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest. He tilted his head, where ever the girl had gone she was with her Absol. The Pokémon left the yard to approach the crutches and gave them a quick sniff. Her scent was old, easily overpowered by the rubbery smell of the grips and cushions. He looked up and sniffed the air, feeling it as only he could. They had gone into the woods but he didn't want to disturb them, in case they were enjoying each other's company. They would return on their own time. He turned back toward the Center, glancing back occasionally with each step. He would alert his trainer as soon as he woke, if they did not return before noon. At present the sun had already chased the grey dawn away, and was growing brighter with each passing second as Lucario made his way back into the yard.

The dew on the grass tickled his pads as he walked, enjoying the cool dampness it brought and the warmth on his face from the sun. His ears twitched slighted as they picked up the faintest of sounds off in the distance, making him pause. He turned to listen, but even with his superior hearing had to strain to listen to the sound as it slowly died away. To him it had sounded like a sharp howling echo that reverberated off the trees. The sound sent shivers down his spine, and ignited his instincts as he darted back for the woods. He paused for only a second to consider waking his trainer but shrugged it off; if there was danger the child would only slow him down.

He leapt over roots and used low branches to help quicken his pass as he ran in the direction the sound had come, using his senses to follow the path Absol had traveled. The scenery sped by in a blur to the Pokémon, and occasionally he had to stop as a sharp breeze disrupted the trail. Each time he stopped he had to scan the area, searching for the trail until the smell charred wood assaulted his nose. The Pokémon slowed and before too much longer he entered a small clearing where the trees that had been blown backwards, some were bent in half as though they were twigs. He shivered, as he looked at blackened area; whatever had happened here had been an intense. Lucario sniffed the air and immediately picked up on Absol's strong musk mixed with the girl's. Together they mingled with many other unrecognized scents from Pokémon and human alike, giving him the impression that Absol hadn't held himself back this time. Each step he took stirred the ash on ground as he continued to scan for Absol's shadow only to become overwhelmed by the amount of energy that flooded the area, until a small yip made him abandon his search.

He left the scene and came upon a place where the grasses had been cut and thrown into long piles. He turned his head skyward and tasted the air since the scoot still lingered in his nose and picked up the scent of blood making his hackles rise. He rushed forward scanning the bare field, long shadows seemed to stretch over the entire area turning the sun-warmed field cold and lifeless. Lucario could not help but shiver as he took in this new scene. A small whimper returned his focus as he turned to look for the tiny cry.

A mound of clippings moved as Lucario slowly approached; wary of an attack as he lifted a clump of weeds. Buried beneath the pile of grass was a dead Zigzagoon; her infant clinging to her side as his mother's blood began to clot and cake to his fur. The baby Pokémon growled at first as Lucario knelt down "Easy little one," he cooed softly. The young Zigzagoon whimpered tears rolling from his eyes, as he was lifted away from his mother by the larger Pokémon and gently hugged into his chest.

Lucario called out as he rose to see if any other Pokémon would answer him, and when none did he tried again. When there was no answer, no movement at all, Lucario turned his attention back toward the infant. The little Pokémon had begun to shiver, flinching each time the elder shifted. Lucario looked back at the forest where he had come across the charred area and hurried off in that direction to see if he could find any more injured Pokémon in need of his aid but there was no one. His Aura Sight showed him nothing but dark mounds of grass, which he dare not look beneath.

As he drew closer to the place where the ground and trees were scorched and caked in soot the infant cried out in fear. "It's alright young one," Lucario hushed as he sniffed the air one final time trying to figure out which direction Absol and Alice had run but there was too much soot in the air for him to track the pair by scent. He sighed before heading back toward the Center; he needed to get the infant to his trainer… He snorted; scratch that, the boy would only panic. He needed to get back to the Pokémon nurse as quickly as possible; she would know what to do about the infant, the missing girl, and how to better handle his trainer. Lucario gave the little Zigzagoon a gentle squeeze before he took off, racing through the forest. His feet began to hurt each time they struck against the ground but even that did not slow his pace.

Luke rolled out of bed, waking as he struck the floor with a start. He looked around before rubbing his face, cleaning the slobber off his cheek. "Lucario…?" He stood and stretched, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "Lucario…?" The boy quickly scanned the room before leaving to look for his missing Pokémon. He wandered out toward the garden where he could see into the yard where his makeshift training course stood hoping to see his Pokémon working out or walking around but the equipment hadn't been moved. The boy yawned and pulled his baggy pajama pants up again, before walking over to the little white fence to hope over it, snagging his over large shirt on the wood. Luke sighed as untangled his brother's shirt before moving to inspect his handiwork from the day before after Absol had trashed everything. He shook his head, how Alice managed to control that Pokémon was a wonder. He stepped around his trashcan wall obstacle before he noticed the back gate hanging open.

Luke scratched his head slightly as Nurse Joy slowly walked up behind him, her Audino trailing behind her. She had been up for a few hours; busily feeding the Pokémon she cared for when she spotted the young man. "Good Morning." She chimed happily. Audino mimicked her happy cry with one of her own

"Morning, have you seen, Lucario or Alice…? He paused when he realized that he hadn't seen his friend either.

Nurse Joy frowned, "I thought they might be with you. I did see Lucario earlier this morning on his routine walk." She glanced back at her Pokémon to see her Pokémon shake her head and frown.

"I just woke up, I saw that Alice's door was open and came out here to see if Lucario was with her and her Pokémon. But they're not out here."

The nurse nodded, "The gate is open perhaps they went for a walk. There's a lovely wide open field and a stream not too far from here, about a three or four hour hike. If she has Absol with her he might have gotten there in half the time with her on his back." Nurse Joy replied as they slowly made their way over toward the open gate where she noticed Alice's crutches abandoned against a tree. A shadow caught her eye before it vanished from her sight. "Audino…?" She called to her Pokémon.

Audino squeaked in reply and stepped forward prepared for an attack, "What is it?" Luke asked as he scanned the tree line for whatever had the woman on edge only to cry out when he recognized the shape. "Lucario…?"

Nurse Joy relaxed slightly until she noticed the Pokémon was holding something and panting heavily. "Oh, no…" She whispered when she realized what he was carrying. Lucario nearly tripped as he quickly closed the distance making his trainer panic and rush forward.

Luke met the tired Pokémon halfway to see the blood soaked Zigzagoon in his arms. Lucario was struggling to stand, gasping for air; he had used his Extreme Speed to cover the distance in as little as an hour or so. The boy took the infant as Nurse Joy ran up to them. "LUKE!" She could see blood caked to both Pokémon and needed to get them both inside immediately. Audino whimpered softly as her trainer lifted the little Zigzagoon, the infant would be alright so she turned to help Luke steady Lucario, allowing the Pokémon nurse to hurry back inside with the baby. The fighting Pokémon took two steps before falling to his knees.

"Lucario… easy boy… Where's Alice…?" Luke asked only to have his Pokémon shake his head. He didn't know. The boy nodded and hoisted the weary Pokémon up onto his back and hurried inside with Audino trailing behind.

Once inside she was able to wash the blood off their fur, but her mind was still filled with worry. The Zigzagoon hadn't been injured just very stressed and weepy, and the boy's Lucario would recover from his exhaustion with a little rest and a few boosters to keep him from hyperventilating. But the blood had to have come from somewhere and with Alice and her Absol missing, her heart ached. There hadn't been any reports of poachers in the area lately but she knew better than to think otherwise. It was now time for her to call the police.

…

**I hope I'm catching as many errors as possible; my apologies if the opposite is true though.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Dark chapter**

…

**A Night to Remember**

An ach slowly began to build, making Alice begin to twist beneath the covers as she tossed her arms. The stiffness she felt had spread from her ankle to the rest of her body, and a dull throb made itself know as she slowly opened her eyes. At first she couldn't remember what had happened, and thought herself back at the Pokémon Center safe in her bed, until she looked at her hands. In the dark of the room she could make out the stiff wrappings that bound her fingers, and wrists.

The girl slowly shifted the covers to see the same kind of bandages wrapped around both of her legs. Her clothes had been changed without her knowledge, and now sported a large lacy night dress. She looked up rubbing at her eyes, when a knock on the door startled her.

Alice pulled the covers over her lap, as light spilled into the room from the hall and a tall man with a slick ponytail entered. When he saw she was awake he smiled, making her cringe, before he turned on the lights, "Good morning my dear…" He replied in a smooth voice, as his Pokémon entered behind him and sat by the door. "I do hope you'll forgive me. We had to take a few liberties, and clean you up a bit. It would seem my men were a tad rough on you, after you bit one of them. Are you hungry?" He asked sweetly.

"What do you want, Irvin…" Alice snapped.

"To catch up a bit; after all, I haven't seen you since your televised interview at the Pokémon League about two years ago." Irvin brought a chair over from the little table and set it close to the bed so that he could sit, "I must say I'm rather impressed, you've been able to stay one step ahead of your uncle for how long now…" He waited for Alice to answer and sighed when she glared at him, "Let's see… you're what sixteen now, and you ran away with your uncle's Absol at age ten… Six years then." He paused for a moment when he noticed the girl rubbing at her eyes again, and spotted something interesting. "Are your contacts bothering you?"

Alice jumped, and put her hands down. "I…"

"As I recall you had green eyes when I first met you. Your hair is a different color too, wasn't it sliver before, and much longer? Even your manner of speaking has changed." He nodded his head. "Ah, yes that reminds me, I have something for you." He motioned for Houndoom to move before a pair of men entered, carrying an armload of cloths as well as a silver tray that held several covered dishes and placed them on the little table. They were dressed in plaid work shirts and holy jeans, but in an attempt to look presentable they had washed their hands and slicked down their hair.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Come now my dear, just because you think I'm a monster, doesn't mean I don't have manners." His dark eyes danced sending a chill down the girl's back.

"That's a load of bullshit." Alice spat matching the man's unwavering smile with a nasty glare of her own.

Irvin flinched slightly but continued in a polite voice, "Such an ugly mouth, for someone with such a lovely face." He motioned for the men to leave the room and stood as they closed the door behind them. Alice felt a bubble of fear rise into her chest; Irvin towered over her for only a moment before turning to retrieve the tray from the table and carefully placed it on the girl's legs. "You must be hungry…" He carefully lifted one of the glittering silver domes, releasing a rich steam that filled Alice's nose and revealed a short stack of pancakes topped with fresh berries.

The girl gulped slightly as he removed the other covers: eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and a small bowl of mixed citrus fruits. "I wasn't sure of your preference, but I think this will do." Alice didn't move as he poured her a small glass of orange juice.

"Where's Absol…?" She asked finally as he set the cup down. Her voice was quiet, but it seemed to echo in the sparsely decorated room.

"Ah yes your uncle's beloved Pokémon. He's save… for now."

"And what do you plan to do with us?" She finally looked up at the man, feeling scared.

"I shall have to get you something for your contacts; I much prefer your green eyes." He slowly moved back toward the door and opened it, "Jack…" he called to one of the men he had posted out in the hall. "Get me something to put contact lenses in. Do you need a set of glasses?" He asked turning slightly to look at the girl, making her flinch.

"What…? No… I…"

He nodded, before closing the door again. "You really should eat; scrambled eggs are nasty when they get cold." Irvin's voice seemed to drip with acid, "Unless, you are refusing my hospitality." He loomed over her, for a moment before changing his demeanor, "I assure you, that nothing is poisoned, my dear." He lifted a thick sausage link with his fingers and took a bite.

"You never answered my question." She replied watching him pop the rest into his mouth, and lick his fingers.

"Ah yes, that question, I suppose I could tell you…" He returned to his seat and folded his arms, "You and that Absol are very special, and while I can retrieve the information I desire from that Pokémon of yours with a simple blood test, I can't do the same with you."

"What do you mean by information; I thought you just worked with my uncle?"

"I do, but the price for my services costs not only money but knowledge," He smirked slightly, "And as the old saying goes, Knowledge is Power, and I like power."

"Then why don't you go and get your power from my uncle?" Alice looked back down at the meal in her lap and flexed her bandaged fingers. Her hands were still sore from banging them against the bars of her cage from the day before, making them hard to move with the wrappings in place.

"I could do that, but arranging a meeting would be troublesome, plus I don't like working with him." He sounded bored, and watched as she carefully lifted the fork to poke at the stack of pancakes on her lap.

"If you don't like working with him then why do you?"

"That my dear is an excellent question." Alice looked up at him as he continued, "Why would anyone work with someone they don't like? The answer is actually quite simple… because they have something to be desired. Now I could go through all the tiring protocols and arrange a meeting with William and in exchange for both you and Absol get my answers. Or," He paused for a moment, "I could talk to you and get what I want that much faster."

"And why do you think I'll give them to you?"

"Why else…? Because I have something you want."

The girl's eyes grew wide, "Absol… Where is he, I want to see him?"

"Ah, you see, now we can get down to business," A knock on the door interrupted the pair, as Irvin stood to answer it, returning shortly with a small bottle of contact solution, and a tiny lenses case. He placed them on the table before returning to his seat. "Now where was I…? Ah, yes, to business. Let's make a simple deal, you and I. In exchange for your cooperation I will let you see him."

"My cooperation…?"

"Yes… for instance, eating your breakfast, getting dressed, and making yourself presentable, to begin with. No more biting, and foul language, answering questions…"

"And you promise not to hurt him."

"My dear lady, you have my word. I shall not touch a single hair on that Absol 's head so long as I live." He smiled coldly making the girl shiver and think twice, "Now about your injuries, are you able to walk, I did notice while we were tending to your legs a rather nasty bruise on your ankle that was yellowed with age."

"N… No… I still need to keep off of it for a while." She replied, somehow she just didn't feel right.

"There you see, isn't it so much easier when we work together? And about your hands, are the bandages too tight?"

"N… no they're fine."

"Good, now eat, and I'll come back in a little while to check on you. By then I expect you to be presentable, and take those ugly things out of your eyes. You look much prettier with green eyes." He rose to his feet one last time and left the room with his Houndoom silently following behind. The Pokémon's movement startled the girl slightly, having completely forgotten the blue creature's presence. She watched as the door closed and suddenly felt sick. She shoved the food off her lap, letting it crash onto the floor.

Alice rose from the bed and screamed as her sore legs gave out, one of the men that had entered before, was at her side. She winced at his calloused hands as he lifted her up, and tried to make her stand. Her injured ankles wouldn't support her weight however, and the bruises on her knees made her legs weak. He half dragged her and the chair over to the table and made her sit, "Yer alright, Ms. Abigail, no cuts…?" She didn't look at him, as he checked her hands for glass before turning to clean up the mess. "I'll bring ya somethin' else ta eat."

"Don't bother, I'm not hungry." She replied looking at the pile of clothes that sat next to her.

"Master Nicolas won't be happy with that."

"Master Nicolas can kiss my ass," She snapped, as she lifted a garment up. The entire pile was nothing but frilly long length dresses, similar to the ones she used to wear when she lived with her uncle, and sighed.

"You best do as he tells ya, Ms. Abigail; he don't have ta be nice to ya." He picked the tray up and left the room.

Alice shook her head, before removing her contacts; it felt strange to be without them. She had grown used to sleeping in them and the occasional irritation they caused. With a sigh the girl set about the tedious task of dressing while she waited for Irvin to return.

…

"She will not bend to your will so easily Master…"

"Did you say something Shale?" Replied Irvin as they walked down the hall toward the labs.

"The girl is as strong as her Pokémon, and neither will break easily." The Pokémon replied, earning a glare from her master.

"And why would you say something like that…? Are you're turning soft after getting thrown by that Absol?" He snapped making the Houndoom flinch.

"No Master…" She fell back several steps as they entered the lab, where they were met by a short balding man in a lab coat. He wore thick glasses and hunched his back; his right arm cradled into his chest and cloaked in a black glove.

"Ah, Master Nicolas, it is a pleasure as always."

"Are the tests finished yet, Dr. Reynard?" Irvin folded his arms impatiently.

"Well, most of them… Ah… I… it would… I…"

"Just spit it out already."

"Yes, sir…" he moved slightly and motioned toward his computer. On the screen was a mapped out diagram of an Absol, "Though the results of the blood test and DNA mapping are not finished I did located a particular birthmark on the pad of his left paw."

"And…"

Dr. Reynard hesitated for a moment trying to express the extraordinary meaning behind this discovery, "Well, it's an odd mark, three hash marks to be exact. A genetic signature that is not natural."

"Oh, how wonderful," Irvin retorted sarcastically, "you found an unusual birthmark, how nice."

"No, not a birthmark, a signature… if… if you look under your Houndoom's left foot I assure you, that you'll find an identical mark. This Pokémon was engineered by the late Dr. Allen Markus, my mentor." The scientist backed up slightly as though expecting to be hit. Shale tilted her head and glanced down at the pad of her left front foot to see the three raised scars she had been born with. She and Absol were one in the same… and what did he mean by engineered?

"I thought you knew about all of his experiments."

"All but this one, the late doctor had become rather reclusive in his later years. And it is possible that he worked on this Pokémon's creation in secret and later sold it to Garth before the explosion. There wasn't anything about the Pokémon in his old journal, but I should have more details once the blood tests and DNA mapping are finished." The man cringed slightly as Irvin stepped forward and fixed his white lab coat.

"See that you do." His voice was dangerously low, before he finished adjusting the collar.

"What do you mean by saying that I… We were engineered?" Asked Shale; drawing her master's attention.

Her trainer smiled, "Quite simple really, you were designed to please your masters. Created and grown in a test tube with only that goal in mind. And at the moment, you are doing a rather poor job of accomplishing your purpose." Houndoom backed up feeling uneasy. "Now shut up."

She nodded her head before following her master out of the room in silence.

…

**I hate this chapter; it gives me the bloody creeps.**


	9. Chapter 9

Gore

…

A Night to Remember

The sound of yelling and jeers rung in Absol's ears as he finally awoke. A black canvas covered his cage muffling the sound. He stood as the door of his cage slide up, blinding him briefly before he moved forward, only to note that his shoulder hurt slightly as he walked. The noise intensified instantly as he emerged into a large concrete pit. The wall rose several feet over his head and opened up into chain-link with a ceiling made of barbed wire. Through the fence he could see many humans cheering and shouting waving tickets in the air; the lights overhead hurt his eyes, making everything dark but the pit.

Absol jumped when another door opened releasing another Absol into the arena. This one was much older, his fur was stained and matted from blood being allowed to dry on his body, his left eye was missing, and horn broken. The old timer snarled, making the scars across his muzzle stretch. The Pokémon charged forward, forcing Absol to try and use his flamethrower, but nothing happened. Shock filled the younger's eyes as he dodged the blow at the last second.

"Not gonna work, pup." The elder growled, "It'll be easy tearin' your sorry carcass to pieces."

"Think again, old timer," Absol barked, baring his fangs, and took a defensive posture as the battle worn Pokémon charged him again. They clashed in midair, snapping at each other's throats; their claws tore into flesh as they bashed their chests together sending bloody clumps of fur flying. They broke apart panting heavily, neither unscathed.

The elder licked his lips and started to circled, making Absol feel uneasy. He did not like the crazed look the other held in his one good eye. Absol shuttered slightly before he charged forward, his teeth bared, only to be thrown into the chain-link fence and drop several feet to the ground. He huffed slightly feeling stupid. The old timer knew he was stronger and had used it against him.

A familiar cry broke his concentration, making Absol turn to find his trainer, "Bad move rooky," snapped the elder as he latched his jaws around the pup's scruff, and shook him like a ragdoll.

"NO…! YOU FUCKING BASTARD, YOU PROM… Ah!" Alice's voice was suddenly cut short making Absol's mind go blank as his vision turned red. He twisted tearing his scuff out of his opponent's teeth and used his tail to cut a long gash into the other's side. In a flash the old Pokémon tried to regain control only to impale himself on Absol's horn.

The crowd was silent even though he could see the human's shouting. He couldn't hear anything say for a sharp ringing sound as he thrust his horn deeper into the other's chest and threw the old timer into the wall. The scarred Pokémon fell limp; a puddle of blood slowly spreading across the concrete.

Absol shifted his gaze all he could see was red, and turned his attention on the chain-link fence above. The enraged Pokémon jumped without thought, slamming his body against it. He crashed to the floor and aimed to do so again when a thick powder was suddenly released into the pit. Absol cried out for his mate as his eyes grew heavy and darkness took him.

Houndoom, watched as the girl's Pokémon collapsed and backed away from the fence and looked back at her master. Alice held her cheek; a dark red handprint marred her skin. Irvin growled as he pushed the wheel chair she occupied out of the room. The child was more of a handful then her master had expected. She could sense an unseen power deep within the girl that rolled off her body unnoticed by humans. It flooded into her chest, making Shale feel a kinship with the child, but the Pokémon dared not tell her master this, it would only jeopardize her current position. She followed her master out of the room.

"That wasn't a very nice thing you did," He replied as he pushed the girl down the hall, his hand sore from her biting him.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt him."

"Don't tell me my business girl, though as I recall, I promised not to touch a single hair on his head and as of this moment, I have yet to break that promise." He pushed her into dark room with a long dark curtain along one wall.

"You're a monster… Pokémon aren't meant to fight like that."

"Oh, I see, but they're allowed to blow each other up? I simply have their special abilities suppressed to make the fight a bit fairer."

"And you have them thrown into a Fight Ring and make them kill each other."

"Oh please, as if you're any better, you bid your Pokémon against each other for fame, rather than fortune." He stepped over to the curtained wall and carefully looked behind it, to see into the other room. "At any rate, I would have thought you'd enjoy seeing your Pokémon win against a champion like Goliath. It simply shows how much work you've put into your beloved Absol." He smirked at what he saw taking place in the other room.

Alice bit her lip, feeling sick again. An unexplained guilt had begun to gnaw at her, "We are nothing alike."

"Oh, but aren't we, we both conceal our identities in order to go unnoticed, we both know the ins and outs of this particular line of work, why else wouldn't you have gone to the police if you already knew they were infected with our own agents. We both have stolen at least once in our lives, and both have killed our parents."

"That, wasn't my fault… it was an accident… I…"

Irvin smiled as he looked at the girl, "I know…" He let the curtain drop as he slowly approached her, "It was an accident, but the fact still remains that if it weren't for you, Stewart and your step mother would still be with us." He gently touched her arm, "I don't blame you, my dear. You were so young, how could you know that letting Absol out would end in disaster. I can make everything better for you."

Alice slapped his hand away, "My parents were just like you and Uncle. Cruel, and deceitful; I've made a name for myself, my own life… You honestly believe I would want to go back to being brainwashed and used like a puppet by a physic Pokémon on a daily bases?"

Irvin smiled, "And what pray tell would warrant the need for such control?"

The girl bit her lip, as she looked away. "I… I don't know."

"I see…" A knock on the door interrupted the man as he looked up. Houndoom put her head down and backed away from her irate master; as he stepped out into the hall, leaving the door open just a crack.

"I'm sorry to bother you but…"

"Just spit it out already you bumbling moron." Irvin snapped, making Alice cringe as she listened in on the conversation.

"One of our rings that wasn't designated just got busted, the shit's all over the news. And that's not the worst of it. Garth is here…"

"WHAT…?" He paused to glance into the room before closing the door.

Alice felt the bottom of her stomach fall out. Her uncle was here… but… She felt her lip start to quiver as she looked around the room trying to find an exit and tried to move the wheel chair he had brought her in, but the wheels were locked. The girl panicked slightly and attempted to stand and for a moment her legs held her until a sharp electrifying pain shot through her as she took a step forward. She fell to her hands and knees, stifling a cry.

Shale slowly walked over to the child, "You should not strain yourself."

Alice jumped as she looked at the blue Pokémon, "You can talk…?"

"I have always been able to speak…" Shale paused for a moment remembering the birthmark on her paw and sighed, "I was engineered to do so." She bit her tongue in order to prevent herself from asking the girl how Absol was created or what purpose he was created for. "How old is Absol?" She decided to ask instead.

"Um… about nineteen or twenty I think… he's been around longer than I have. Why…?"

"A simple puzzlement," She replied, the girl wouldn't know about how her Pokémon was created if she hadn't been born at the time of his engineering. "He is no ordinary Absol. What is that power you and he both share?"

"Power…?"

"It is alright if you do not understand." Shale sat down for a moment and watch the human mimic her, "I just thought you would know, seeing that you are his mate."

"I'm not Absol's mate," Alice adjusted her dress so that she could better rub at her knees, she couldn't remember much from the day before except from what Irvin had told her.

"So then it is just a Mater's Mark, and not a true acknowledgment?"

"What are you talking about?"

Shale sighed; humans truly didn't understand their Pokémon sometimes. "Some Pokémon choose to mate for life," she explained, "and once they choose a lover they lick them. At the moment of courtship or heat the saliva is very sticky and has a scent that lingers for a very long time to ward off other Pokémon until the affections are returned and the marriage is completed. If the affections are not returned the scent wears off and the two go their separate ways. Your Absol must be more than a little frustrated with you."

Alice pinched her legs together feeling uneasy as her cheeks heated up; images danced into her head, reminding her of the euphoric feeling she had each time Absol's tongue scraped over her clit sending an electrifying pulse through her body. She shivered involuntarily, making Houndoom smile as her nose picked up on the girl's arousal. "You've not like your master."

"I do as my master commands; that is my purpose, to please him…" She paused for a moment, "He will not be happy with you on the ground like this. Come I will help you up."

"Houndoom I can't, I can't go back to living like I was before." Alice hugged her body suddenly feeling cold. "My uncle does terrible things to people and Pokémon alike, I… I can't…" She fought to keep her breathing level as she fought back tears.

"Sometimes we must abide by our fate. So keep your happier memories close to your heart, they will make the things to come easier to bare." She stood and closed the distance to nuzzle the child's cheek, "I am called Shale by the way, now if you please try to stand, and if you like you may put weight on my shoulders."

Alice shook her head, as she wrapped her arms around the startled Pokémon's neck and pulled her into a weak hug, weeping softly. Shale turned her head slightly feeling uneasy and awkward.

…

Irvin growled and started to grind his teeth as he headed down the hall, of all the worst times for Garth to pop in for a visit. The man couldn't have known that he had his niece already. It had to be about the bust. It was the third one that month, their decoy officer wasn't pulling his weight anymore. He shook his head, they would have to drop him or send in more cheap cops. He pinched the bridge of his nose feeling stressed before entering the room to see a tall man standing with his back to him, "Garth, what a pleasant surprise."

"Though I wish the circumstances were a bit more pleasant," Replied Garth as he turned. Running down the left side of his face were three dark scars, his hands marred from severe burns. "You've been sloppy." He replied.

"How so, I've had my eyes and ears to the ground."

"Perhaps… But then you also might explain why I had to drop one of you rings on the other side of town?" He stepped forward with his arms folded neatly in front of his chest.

"You tipped off the cops…?"

"It was gaining some unwanted attention," His eyes sparked darkly, "So I pulled its worth and left it for the dogs to pick it over. I didn't need to tip the cops, they were already closing in." He turned back toward the table and sat down, "They've been closing in on you too. That's why I'm here," Garth lifted a leather-bound box out of her briefcase he had set beneath the table and opened it. Inside were three large bundles of cash. "This is the current worth of this place, everything else, however…"

"Now William, be reasonable," Choked Irvin, he knew how the man worked, if someone lost their value, they were as good as dead. "You can't say I don't have a place in your plan. I've supplied you with countless Pokémon, money, and information."

"I wasn't indicating that you would be going down with this cesspool Irvin, you're much too dangerous for that." He closed the box and lifted a small hand gun out of his pocket and loaded a single round into the chamber, before setting it down on the table his finger resting on the trigger. "As for your worth, that is to be debatable."

Irvin gulped slightly as he stared down at the weapon, "How did you get that in here?"

"I have my ways, though I've only brought one bullet so that does present a bit of a problem." He sighed as he aimed the barrel at the man, "You see if I shoot you in the wrong place, you'll live and be able to spill your guts to the police. If I miss then you could turn the tables on me. The odds are on the table, the question, are you worth the bet?"

Irvin nodded his head slightly as he adjusted his collar, "What about your niece then? Or does she have no worth to you either?"

The smile faded from Garth's face, "Oh… and what about her?"

"I was intending to call you, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. We have the girl and her Absol."

His smile returned as he disarmed the gun, "I knew you still had some worth my friend, you shouldn't keep so many secrets from me. Now tell me, how is my dear little niece, I would hope she's currently under hypnosis, you have enough physic Pokémon running around for that."

"Ms. Abigail is currently confined to a wheelchair, her ankle seems to be broken, and she's a bit worse for wear after biting one of my men." Irvin replied easily, "I highly doubt the need to brainwash her."

The old man chuckled lightly, "So she hasn't out grown that. Oh my friend that child is far more dangerous then you know. That Pokémon, Absol… she has a power over him, all it takes is one scream and that monster will tear your face clean off," He ran his thumb along the scars on his cheek making Irvin cringe. "If Absol is not present then she can and will befriend other Pokémon increasing their strength unknowingly. The only way to prevent this is to hypnotize the girl, and focus her abilities with a special machine. However she has an incredible will and is able to break out of the spell easily, an ability I hope to correct…. I suppose you have already figured out that Absol is no ordinary Pokémon."

"Yes, he is similar to my artificial shiny Pokémon, Shale."

Garth nodded, "That is true, but we will disgust this matter at a later time. At the moment, we should tend to my darling niece and disgust the means of our transport."


	10. Chapter 10

…

**A Night to Remember**

Luke cursed silently under his breath, several weeks had passed since his friend and her Pokémon Absol, had gone missing, and all the police seemed to be concerned with was the girl's last name. They had discovered that the name Alice Marina, once entered into the police data base, led to a woman who was much too old to be his friend. And upon further investigation they found this woman to be the girl's mother who was married to a one Steward Garth and gave birth to a baby girl named Abigail Alice Garth, and passed away not long after from illness. Apparently the Garth family had been one of the biggest illegal Pokémon smugglers in the entire region and able to keep their tracks covered whenever the police seemed to close in. They prided themselves in the ability to snip any loose ends, until one night about six years ago.

Officer Jenny was just about to pin the Garth Brothers, when a massive fire broke out, burning the entire mansion to the ground, along with all the evidence Jenny had collected for the bust. She narrowly escaped with her life and it was believed that the entire family died that night in the blaze along with the staff. The senior twin made it a habit to lock the doors at night to prevent the workers from wandering the halls after curfew. The smuggling operations mysteriously began to die back as the name Garth was erased from the suspects list, and registered as deceased. And now they believed her to be connected with a new smuggling operator called the Shadow of the Underground.

Luke shook his head, Alice was much too kind, to be associated with such terrible people. Nurse Joy had even defended her. She took care of her Pokémon, Emolga, Lampent, Vaporeon, Riolu, and Zorua all missed her terrible. In fact if it weren't for Emolga and his creepy ability to track his trainer they never would have busted in on so many illegal operations, like Fight Rings, or illegal boosters for Pokémon that were stronger than Rare Candies and largely untested often sold on the Black market. And each time they did, it slowed down their search for Alice.

Even with each bust, Officer Jenny seemed disappointed. The Cashes were often discovered half or completely empty of goods. There were usually very few arrests and the people that were captured offered very little information.

Lampent cooed softly catching Luke's attention as Emolga slowly wandered away happily entering the building he had led them to without a single care in the world. "Emolga no…" Luke whispered as the Pokémon disappeared inside making Officer Jenny smack her forehead. She was wearing a disguise and a hidden wire just below her collar. A red bandana hide her classic blue hair and a leather coat aided in her tough appearance as she signaled the other's with three shape beeps.

Luke was also dressed up in a similar nature; his Lucario wore an eye patch and a dark scarf, while Lampent floated after the little electric Pokémon. The ghost seemed to be the only one capable of controlling Emolga, whenever the little mouse had one of his fits. Lucario had seen firsthand just how powerful the little guy was as his tantrum chased Alice's other Pokémon out of the room. Luke shivered remembering the one hit K.O. and chased after Lampent. The girl had to be here.

Luke managed to enter unnoticed as Jenny caught up and grabbed his arm, "What are you doing?"

"Emolga, and Lampent went that way, and they've never wandered off like this before that must mean that Alice is here."

"I realize that, but this is no place for a civilian," She whispered harshly in his ear as she looked around. The building appeared to be empty, but that couldn't be. Only an hour had passed since they had scoped out the area; it had been teaming with people as they traded for items off the Black Market. The left over stalls were messily emptied, leaving traces of product and garbage strewn about. Many of the stands had been knocked over in haste, or completely abandoned. Jenny was confused; they hadn't seen anyone leave the building.

She shook her head, her team either had a mole, or the people they were after had better eyes and ears then she did. The officer signaled her men to move in as Luke chased after the Pokémon. Lucario huffed slightly as they rounded corner after corner, before finally coming to a halt in front of a large metal door.

The young trainer slowly turned the handle only to be thrown backwards as white blur charged angrily into the hall, growling fiercely. Absol, bloodied and crazed, towered over the lad, brandishing his sharp fangs, as the boy slowly inched away. Lucario barked, placing his body between the two as he first had, catching the Pokémon's attention and readied an attack until Lampent floated in front of Absol's muzzle.

The ghost cried out cheerfully, making the enraged Pokémon back up and watch him. Emolga had ignored them both and entered the room only to return with a sad look on his face; Alice wasn't in there, and hiccupped softly. Tears were evident in his big round eyes, making Absol and Lampent cringe as he started to cry; his voice echoing down the hall. Lucario looked between them confused as Luke sat up, having already put the incident out of his mind.

"Absol…?" He smiled and attempted to touch the dark Pokémon, only to be growled at, and pulled his hand away. His smile faded, Absol didn't seem to recognize him. The young trainer glanced into the room; the large door bore several large gashes and beyond that was a demolished cage, its metal bars bent at odd angles. "Where's Alice…?" He stuttered slightly, making the Pokémon look up and sniff the air, before charging down the hall in the opposite direction they had come.

Luke stood leaving Emolga behind to cry as he, Lucario, and Lampent followed.

Absol's claws scraped against the wooden floor, searching for purchase as he crashed into the walls in his rush to find his missing trainer. He dropped his head, as he rammed into a closed door dislodging the obstacle from its hinges as he entered a dark room.

Luke turned the lights on as he took in the state of the lab. The area had been cleared in a hurry, leaving papers and vials scattered across the floor. Absol shifted through a sea of glass inspecting a shattered tube that had once held a sample of his trainer's blood, next to it rested the broken remains of a firestone, and a strange gold bracer that glittered on the inside.

Luke lifted up several sheets skimming through the gibberish, until a sharp yip caught his attention. He turned in time to see a table scoot across the floor several inches as Absol vanished from his sight. Lampent let out a worried cry, while Lucario backed away. Both Pokémon were almost hiding behind the young trainer when a flash of light nearly blinded them all. The boy tilted his head slightly once his vision returned and he slowly approached the place where the Pokémon had disappeared, feeling a bit uneasy.

The child's jaw seemed to come dislodged, among the broken glass was a young man hunched over, his pale body riddled with bruises, and thick scabs. A nest of black hair fell into his deep red eyes as the stranger lifted his fingers, running them across his sculpted features in disbelief. He paused as the bracer clicked and fell from his arm to land with a clatter on the floor.

"Absol…?" Luke asked, drawing the man's attention. His piercing red gaze held him in place as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The young trainer gulped as he took in the fella's nude body; the abuse it showed made him sick to his stomach. The boy lifted a discarded lab coat and carefully shook the glass from its folds before moving to place it over the guy's shoulders. Those red eyes watched him shuffle through the mess and as he drew closer the man tensed, slapping the trainer's hand away. The coat fell to the ground as the pale man struggled to get his limbs to work properly, growing more frantic with each passing moment.

Lampent cooed softly as he hovered overhead, "My friend…?" He dropped lower, "It is alright… Luke means well."

The young man opened his mouth again only to reach for his throat and cough harshly as he shook his head. Luke ignored his sore fingers and placed his hand on the man's shoulder, "Easy…" he pulled the coat over him and rubbed between his shoulders.

The young man gasped, "A… Absol…" he wheezed softly, his vision blurred, and with one shutting breath he felt himself fading.

Luke wrapped his arms around Absol's neck to keep him from falling forward into the glass as he blacked out. "Lampent, go and get Jenny, Lucario, help me move this gu… I mean Absol." He struggled with the man's weight as his Pokémon rushed over and pulled an arm over his shoulder. Together they hoisted the transformed Pokémon and dragged him over to a clean section of floor to prop him up against the wall.

Lucario huffed as he sniffed at the man's face. This human indeed was the Pokémon; the scent was similar albeit his aura had changed slightly. They turned when they heard Emolga chirp at them as he entered the room. The little Pokémon took one look at the prone figure and a wide smile spread across his features. Luke and Lucario exchanged glances as Emolga made his way over; his eyes wide and eerily cheerful. "Emolga, this isn't Alice. It's Absol…" He struggled with the Pokémon's name still unable to fully wrap his head around what had happened. The little flying squirrel didn't seem to care as he began petting the man's knee.

"What is going on here…? Luke, are you alright?" Shouted Officer Jenny, she skid to a halt; the annoying ghost trailing behind her. Luke did his best to make the man somewhat decent as not to embarrass the officer.

"It's Absol… He… he's a human."

"What…? How is that even possible?" She holstered her gun and knelt down to the group's level.

"I don't know, but I think that bracelet thing had something to do with it." Luke replied, watching as Jenny gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Damn… this kid's in really rough shape…" She pressed the button on her collar activating the hidden mic, "I need a paramedic in here; we've got a man down: early twenties, Caucasian, male, black hair, and wearing just a white lab coat. Covered in multiple bruises, bite marks, and other lacerations... Subject is unconscious but breathing easily." She released the button and waited for a response.

"But he's a Pokémon…" Luke protested slightly.

"Not at the moment he's not. We'll get him looked at and figure out what happened later, for now we just need to keep an eye on him and hope for the best."

…

**Alright this chapter is a little shorter then I like but it has a lot of cliff hanger in it.**


	11. Chapter 11

…

**A Night to Remember**

The screen flickered to life as the monitor was switched on; in the corner was a single flashing dot. With a beep, words began to appear across the top of the screen; slowly typed out for the reader to see.

… Loading

Retrieving Data…

… Loading

Data Retrieved…

Static sprang to life across the screen before an image of a man hunched over the camera came into focus. The man wore a lab coat and pushed his glasses back up his nose, before speaking. "Day fourteen, one A.M.; we have decided to continue testing the device, unsure of how exactly the bracer works. It appears to be made out of gold, however the implement has a luminous coating on the inside, made from an unknown substance.

Day seventeen, eight P.M.; According to the Shadow, this piece contains some strange ability that will enable the wearer to be controlled. We have decided to begin testing the device on volunteer test subjects. Sadly the first three have exhibited no signs of being brainwashed or placed under any sort of state that would allow them to be controlled. The Shadow insists we continue trying."

The screen flickered slightly as the man faded in and out of focus, "Day twenty-two, twelve P.M.; It was remarkable… The audio faded slightly, "Clumsy girl actually figured it out… It would appear… It works… more testing is required before we use it on the child…"

The lines faded returning the video's clarity. "Day twenty seven, five P.M.; the child tried to run again. This is her second attempt; however our studies are progressing nicely. We have tested the bracer on two more subjects today with similar results; it would seem that blood is the key. The first subject, number thirty-two, was our first success. Though we are unsure as to how the device works. It seems to interact with the subject's molecular structure transforming them into a Pokémon, upon exposure to a sufficient amount of D.N.A." The camera panned back showing a Rattata with strange brownish fur, and human-like eyes. "We limited the bracer's exposure to three drops of blood, as a result the subject continues to retain human like features, and the transformation is also short lived."

"Day twenty-nine; that brat has attempted to run off again, and riled up that blasted Pokémon of hers…" The man shook his head, "The Shadow plans to use the bracer on the girl in order to control her ability to enhance Pokémon strength. However we have yet to discover if it is even possible to control the subjects once they have been altered. Though we have discovered the proper amount of blood needed to incite a accurate transformation, reducing the human features by ninety percent. Sadly we have yet to have a successful subject captured. The introduction of a pokeball has had mixed results. Each attempt has caused the bracer to fall off, forcing the subject to transform back into a human prematurely."

"Day thirty-four; we are attempted to evolve the subjects once changed. The bracer seems to be unable to replicate Pokémon that have obtained an evolutionary form. It also appears to be having difficulty transforming the wearer into Pokémon that lack the ability to evolve, requiring a lot more D.N.A then what would be required for a Riolu or a Igglybuff. This device is a true puzzlement."

The image began to break up again as the man grabbed the camera; papers flying past his head, "Attempting to use physic Pokémon… failure…" the feed crackled and buzzed before the picture cut out suddenly only to return several moments later.

"Even after continual cage fights the girl's Absol, has proven to be more of a handful then we originally anticipated. The creature was the last experiment my mentor ever performed and he succeeded in creating a perfect Pokémon. However the girl's continued exposure to the beast has turned him into something of a super Pokémon. His size, muscular structure, and other abilities have all been enhanced tenfold. Shale also seems to be showing moderate signs of increased stamina. The child doesn't seem to be aware of her influence. It is no wonder that the Shadow desires control over the girl's powers."

"Day, thirty-nine; we have failed in the attempt to evolve a subject naturally, however there are other means in which we can use to invoke evolution."

"We have succeeded; our first human Pokémon has been created. Subject was transformed into a Pansear and given a firestone. Upon contact the bracer fell off and the subject evolved into a Simisear. We have yet to discover if the effect is permanent."

"The testing is still far from being complete; the original subject has yet to change back, however once captured; subject twenty- seven seemed to lose all expressive nature. He no longer speaks, and follows orders without any protest. We are unsure as to how the girl's powers will change this variable. The Shadow seems hesitant."

"Day forty-two; a forth escape attempt, has the Shadow fuming. Absol has somehow grown more dangerous and been locked up." He jumped as a scream cut through the audio.

"You son of a bitch… No…" Alice's voice was harsh as she was manhandled off screen.

"Yes…" The scientist seemed to recover, until his assistants cut him off.

"Will somebody please gag her? Why wasn't she restrained?

"She was…"

"Hold her down… make sure those restraints are tight…" Alice's shouts were muffled as the man cleared his throat.

"We will first expose the bracer to the D.N.A from a Pokémon designated by the Shadow." He lifted up a small syringed filled with a dark liquid before squeezing a fair amount onto the piece of jewelry. Once finished he stepped out of view of the camera for several moments before a flash of light forced the video feed to become fuzzy again. In the next instant chaos erupted throughout the room sending the camera flying. The video gave way to static as blurry images darted across the room shouting to catch the girl. The feed suddenly died turning the screen black.

…

Data encryption error…

…

The lab, much like the rest of the facility had been emptied in a hurry leaving behind more evidence then the police could properly handle during the raid. Everything inside the building had to be categorized and documented before it could be moved into an evidence locker, pending the conclusion of the case. Among the confiscated goods and seized Battle Pokémon, were a small camera, and the solid gold bracer it described.

The seized Pokémon including the transformed Absol had been transported to the properly oriented health centers where they could receive the care they desperately needed. Many of those Pokémon would most likely need to be retired, as they were a danger to both Pokémon and humans alike. They would be sent to a secured location where they would no longer fight. There they would have limited interactions in a controlled environment until they recovered. Once rehabilitated and deemed safe; those Pokémon would be given to a strong trainer who would be able to care for them.

Absol's fate was still uncertain; the young man had yet to awaken. As a human his body was less sturdy and his injuries had taken their toll on him. As a Pokémon, he could be back on his feet in a few days even a week; however the technology needed for such a feat didn't work on humans and as such, it would take a little longer for him to recover fully.

Officer Jenny sighed as she turned off the computer, removing the video chip and bagged it. She set it down next to the bracer and scratched her head feeling upset. This case had led her though more twists and turns than she cared to remember, and now this… Whatever this was? "Haunter…" she said as she looked over at her Pokémon as she floated closer, "After this, I think I'll need to take a very long vacation."

Haunter, nodded knowingly, remembering that night her trainer nearly died in the fire six years ago and cooed softly in response. Not even Jenny had escaped unscathed by the blaze. The Garth Brothers had been a very dangerous case to work on and now they had this Shadow character to deal with. Her trainer was positive that one of the Garth Twins had survived along with the girl; she just lacked the evidence to prove it. The video however proved that Alice was not a willing participant in the underground, rather a victim of birth. The Pokémon mimicked her trainer and sighed in unison. This truly had turned into one hell of a mess for the both of them.

Jenny stood with the items and exited the room. This evidence had already been documented and needed to be locked up in the vault for safe keeping.

…

**Sorry for another short chapter guys, but this one has some fairly important filler in it.**


	12. Chapter 12

…

**A Night to Remember**

It was a beautiful day; the sun shone brightly casting its warmth over the entire field that lay before them. Absol sighed contently as he rested in the shade of a lonely tree. Beside him slept a little silver haired child; her fingers tangled in his fur, as she snored softly. Her face was covered in soot and her clothing was singed, smelling strongly of smoke and ash. He turned his head and licked at the girl's cheek softly. Alice rubbed at her brilliant green eyes before sitting up to stretch.

"What's that matter Absol?" Her voice echoed slightly as if in a dream.

"Come…" He replied in a subtle huff as the world shifted around them.

Absol now found himself hiding among the bushes as he watched a young boy just a little older then Alice, commanding a Pokémon. The boy wielded a pokeball and shouted as he and his Spearow chased after a wild Lilpup, leaving his bag and gear behind. Absol tilted his head as he approached the forgotten pack and picked it up believing that Alice could figure out how to use the items inside and become a Pokémon trainer. In that aspect she could at the very least learn to protect her-self.

As he turned he saw the child running past him to jump in a little puddle slashing water everywhere. Absol set the bag down… the both of them were finally free to do as they pleased, and the wonders of the world around them beckoned to the dark Pokémon. He had never in his life seen anything more than the bars of his cage, the arena, or the labs where he was raised and trained. He had never even seen a child until he had met Alice. The girl would be alright oh her own… she didn't need him around anymore. He turned, satisfied with the child's ability, until a small hand touched his shoulder. "Are we leaving now, Absol?"

"No, you stay here," he pushed her away slightly, confusing the girl. He started on his way again when she grabbed his fur once more. "No," he growled at her, and shoved her back toward the bag. Alice fell back, tears in her eyes.

"Absol, I don't understand, did I do something wrong? Are you angry at me? Did you get hurt?" She sobbed into her fists as she turned and fled from the dark Pokémon. Absol sighed as he watched her run away from him. He started to leave again when he caught sight of the bag. Perhaps he could stay with her a little longer. Time seemed to speed up as he chased after her. It felt like he was floating even pulled in her direction as he finally found the child. Alice sat with her feet in a little stream kicking the water to make it splash. He set the bag down and sat next to her. Her nose was running still and her eyes puffy from weeping. The Pokémon huffed slightly before licking at the girl's cheek awkwardly; the action made her smile, before wrapping her tiny arms around him. Absol sat there stiffly unsure as to how he should react. He would have to remember in the future that she did not understand his words but rather his actions. Grunts and growls would need to be kept at a minimum. The Pokémon closed his eyes for a moment only to find him-self and the girl on the road, staring down a small Litwick.

The tiny ghost seemed innocent enough, for Alice to handle on her own. He dropped the bag making the balls spill out and tugged at the child's shirt. She lifted one of the red and white orbs, a little unsure of herself, even jumping when her thumb brushed over the button in the center to make the ball increase in size. Absol tilled his head as she looked up at the little ghost, unmoving and clinging to the pokeball like it was the only thing protecting her. He sighed lightly before pushing her closer with his head. The Pokémon wasn't positive as to how the capture process worked, he'd never been in a pokeball, and couldn't really coach the girl on how it was done. It appeared the child was just as unsure, as she tossed the ball, with her eyes closed.

Litwick watched as the device fell several feet short and began laughing, while Absol retrieve the ball and pushed the child closer. Alice took a deep breathe this time before tossing the pokeball. Litwick watched it soar through the air and as it came closer, he hopped to the left letting the ball strike the ground a second time. The little ghost then proceeded to stick his tongue out, and make rude gestures with it as Alice stomped her foot.

She charged back to the bag and picked up the other nine balls, Absol had stolen from that other trainer and returned to her place determined to at least hit the ghost with one of them. Absol shook his head before wandering over to the side of the road to lie down. Each ball the girl threw missed, making her grow more and more frustrated. The little Litwick seemed more than a little entertained as he hopped around the mess of pokeballs that surrounded him.

Alice looked down at her last ball and stomped her foot, "Will you hold still, please." She snapped making the Pokémon pause. Neither he nor Absol could place it but both of them had felt a sudden change in energy around the girl and it made them feel drawn to her. Litwick cooed softly, and Absol caught himself beginning to purr. Alice smiled as she straightened and tossed the ball. The little ghost didn't try to move out of the way this time; rather he chose to jump into its path allowing the girl to capture him. The child jumped for joy when the ball opened and the Pokémon vanished in a flash of red light. For several moments the pokeball shuttered making the girl hold her breath until it grew still. She rushed over to pick it up accidentally making the ball open and Litwick reappear. Alice nearly dropped the device as the little Pokémon cried out in glee. Absol smiled as the scene began to fade dragging him into another dream-like memory.

The dark Pokémon growled slightly in frustration, he hadn't intended to stay with the child for long but before he had even realize it; two years had slipped by without his notice. The child was now twelve, and carried herself with pride. The power he had sensed in her now rolled off her body in waves, making it impossible for the Pokémon to leave her side even though he was not bound to the girl by a pokeball like the ghost, and now it would seem that her power, or energy, or whatever it was had attracted two more Pokémon.

A little female Zorua, and a little male Riolu, had made it their business to start following the girl, after she had found them fighting over an apple. They were little thieves arguing over a score of berries they had snitched and rather then returning to their life of crime, the pair seemed happy to chase after the girl. They were actually willing to let her capture them. Absol could not bring himself to be apart from the child but that didn't mean he would just jump into a pokeball for her.

Absol shook his head as he rested apart from the others, later that evening, perhaps now would be the best time to leave her. Alice already had Litwick and now two more companions, she didn't need him anymore. As he stood and left the ground beneath his feet turned black as the world melted away. As he continued further down that path he felt a pain in his chest. Sorrow filled his heart until a scream cut threw his mind echoing in his ears, forcing him to spin around. "Alice…?" He called feeling scared as he gazed upon a familiar sight. Before him stood a wall cloaked in blood, a tall shadow stretched across it looming over him. He growled harshly as he turned to meet the beast only to stop when he saw Alice lying with her back to him. Her right arm bloody, as a set of red eyes smiled at him through the darkness.

"Oh Absol, look what you've done," the voice hissed. The creature rose over them making the dark Pokémon feel helpless as he rushed to the child's aid; the floor unexpectedly fell out from beneath his feet, making his stomach lurch painfully into his chest.

Absol awoke with a start, he hadn't had that dream in a long time; pain suddenly made itself known as he struggled to move. Everything hurt, as though he had only just been in a fight, but he knew that to be false until he lifted his arms to see his beautiful black claws replaced with long, skinny digits. The young man turned his head, feeling something tug at his face. He tore at the tube as oxygen was puffed into his nose and fought to sit up. A loud beep made him jump as he removed the grey plastic thing from his finger making the heart monitor flat-line silently. Absol touched his chest, wincing at the pain as he looked down in disbelief.

He was human but, how? The young man's thoughts were interrupted as a nurse entered the room with a worried look painted across her face. "Mr. Night, is everything alright?"

Absol opened his mouth to speak, but no words, came out, only a garble of sound.

"Please try to relax, Mr. Night, your injuries…" The young man shook his head wincing at the pain in the back of his neck, and struggled to move out of the bed. No nothing was alright, his trainer was missing, he was human, in pain, and why the hell was she calling him Night? "Mr. Night, you can't get up," She grabbed him easily, and pulled him back.

Absol shouted wordlessly, even a small human female was stronger than him. His breathe caught in his throat making him cough harshly. "And you need to keep these things on," she replaced the Nasal Oxygen tube as she forced the man to lie back. "I'll get you a glass of water in a moment," she carefully reattached the Fingertip Heart Rate Monitor, before filling a glass with water from the pitcher on the bedside table. The nurse carefully offered it to the young man, who shook his head. Absol was still trying to form words, making the girl sigh, "Don't try to force yourself, your little brother should be here in a little bit. So for the time, just try to relax, you've been through a lot." She set the glass down as the young man final began to relax. "If you need anything just push the call button," She pointed at a device hanging off the corner of the bed, "and I'll leave your water right here. Do you want something to eat? Crackers…? Toast…?"

Absol shook his head slightly before glancing around the room to spot a television hanging in the corner of the room and pointed at it. "Oh you want to watch a little T.V.?" She smiled and handed him a remote before stepping over to turn on the device. "We just have cable, but you'll be able to watch whatever you like. Are you sure you don't want a little toast or something?" Absol shook his head slightly as the nurse left him in peace. He looked up at the glowing screen and tilted his head slightly. He still didn't understand what it was he was doing but he knew that he needed to learn how to speak human, and this was the only way he knew how.

He felt tired as he mimicked the mouth movements from the characters on the screen as they acted out scenes. But each time he looked down at his bandaged fingers he felt a new determination and continued. It felt surreal; the words he tried to mimic came easier, even if he didn't fully understand everything said. Still it was better than doing nothing, especially when Alice needed him.

…


	13. Chapter 13

…

**A Night to Remember**

Luke found Absol asleep as usual as he entered the ward, and turned off the T.V. before taking his normal seat by the bed. It had been several days since the transformed Pokémon's condition had begun to improve, and allowed visitors; yet each time he came, Luke would find the T.V. on while Absol slept through the noise. The boy sighed as he looked over at the tray of untouched food; he wasn't eating either. He watched the sleeping man's face as he began to twitch, and fidget in his sleep. Luke shook his head, if only he were allowed to bring Alice's other Pokémon into the hospital it might… The young trainer jumped when he heard Absol cry out in his sleep and stood up. "Hey… wake up, you're having a nightmare." Luke shouted as he shook the young man's shoulder.

The Pokémon's wild red eyes snapped open in fear as he pushed the child back. Absol's black hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, his skin ghostly pale, as he watched the boy slowly retake his seat, and struggled to bring his breathing back under control, wincing at the pain it brought, "I'm sorry, you were having a bad dream." Absol nodded slowly as he pushed his bangs out of his face, having regained enough strength to sit up on his own. "Man, I wish you could talk…" Luke muttered under his breath, catching the Pokémon's attention.

"You think we cannot...?" Absol's voice was soft; his words choppy and slurred slightly.

The boy jumped as he looked back at the transformed Pokémon, "Wait, you can talk?"

"'es," He replied shortly, as he finally calmed down.

"When… how…? I mean you've been out a few days but…?" Luke stumbled over his own tongue as he struggled to figure out how the Pokémon suddenly had the ability to talk.

"You think we stupid. We not speak human, does not mean we do not ah… un-der… understand it. It is hard on our tongues to… to speak human, not im-poss-ible." Absol snapped, making the boy flinch as he stumbled over his words.

"Sorry, you just surprised me…" Luke apologized, "So, when you transformed then you could just talk?"

"No… I had to learn. But it was easier."

The boy sat back as he watched the Pokémon grow silent and stare at the wall. "You don't really like me do you?" Absol simply glanced at the boy without turning his head. Luke waited several moments before continuing, "What no answer…?"

"I will answer when you have asked question."

"Oh…" An awkward silence fell between them again, as Luke struggled to think up something to say, only to be surprised when the young man spoke first.

"Where is Emolga?"

"Back at the Pokémon Center, just staring out a window… We can't get him to track down Alice again." He paused for a moment, "I know he's upset, but is he a little off in the head too? The way he stares at me gives me the creeps."

Absol nodded slightly, "You would be off too. Emolga was used in lab to test chem… chem-a-calls." He faltered slightly trying to pronounce his words properly. "He can find Alice."

"How…?"

"He has his way." The Pokémon replied shortly. He still had difficulty forming his words, they sounded slurred to him. Absol sighed slightly, he would need to continue practicing but at least the child understood his lame attempts to speak human. "Why do… does Nurse-lady call me… N…" he tried again, "Night…?"

"Oh, sorry about that, but Officer Jenny thought that it would be best to keep your situation under wraps in order to keep you safe. So she gave you a false identity as my adopted brother Night Harris. You ran away from the orphanage and got caught up in some bad business. If you don't like the name Night it won't be permanent, at least until we figure out how to change you back into an Absol."

"N… It is all… right," He sighed before looking down at his hands the wounds he had sustained were healing but at much too slow a rate for him. The Pokémon felt useless, "Will, Oss… Otefer…" he shook his head unable to pronounce the woman's title, "Will, Jenny look for Alice?"

"Right now she has other things on her plate, and we don't have any other clues. You've been out of it a while so I don't expect you to be up to date on everything but the evidence that was recovered from the warehouse was stolen, and a virus was released into the computer data banks; fifteen years' worth of information, lost. She and the others are investigating the incident while a team of technicians try to recover the lost and corrupted data files."

"Why does she not, split at-tention?"

"You've been watching too much T.V. My old man was a cop, before he was forced into an early retirement from a stray bullet. Anyway, I called him asked the same question, and he thinks Jenny has a mole in her unit."

"Mole…?"

"A spy, and as long as that spy is at large, Officer Jenny will have little luck in furthering her investigation on the Shadow Case or finding our friend." Luke jumped when he noticed Absol glaring at him, "What…?"

The young man didn't answer, choosing to continue glaring at him, if he could growl he'd be doing that too. A knock interrupted the onslaught of silent threats as a lovely young nurse entered the room; her hair tied back in a tight bun. "I hope I'm not disturbing you two, I just needed to check the I.V." She smiled brightly until she spotted the untouched food on the bedside table. "Mr. Night, you really should eat something. Starving yourself, will not get you out of here any faster; I don't suppose you could talk some sense into your brother, Mr. Luke?"

"I'll see what I can do, but Night can be rather pig-headed." Luke smiled slightly as Absol huffed and folded his arms. Once the woman left, the boy spoke, "You know she is right." The Pokémon didn't answer intent on glaring at the wall. "Look, why don't you like me?"

Absol glared at him, "She is mine," he snapped, feeling suddenly jealous of the child.

Luke tilted his head, confused, "Well, yeah she's your trainer, but…"

"No she is mine, you stay away…" he leaned forward pointing threateningly at the boy, only to remember how much his side hurt. Absol wheezed slightly, before leaning back, feeling tired.

"Ok… yes, she is your friend, but she's my friend too, I'm just as worried about her as you are." The trainer watched as Absol sighed slightly before closing his eyes. "Unless that's not what you're talking about… Wait, you don't like her, like her do you?" When the Pokémon didn't answer, Luke choked slightly, "No way, that's why you've been growling at me this whole time. Wow…" he paused when he noticed the young man glaring at him again. "Hey I'm not one to judge, I read about that kind of stuff but… I mean, Alice is a good friend but that's all, I like her but I don't you know like her, like her. Geez, what is that even like?"

Absol relaxed a bit, "Com… com-pli-cated."

"I'll say, I don't know what I would do if my Snorlax started hitting on me, I mean she's a nice Pokémon but just not in that way."

Absol shook his head as he tried to hide his smile, somehow the image of Luke crushed beneath the weight of a fully grown female Snorlax, his arms flailing about, just seemed to appeal to him in the strangest of ways. Luke started laughing, "You jerk," he pushed at his shoulder lightly, realizing what it was the Pokémon was imagining, "Though you do look better when you're smiling and happy instead of broody and moody," he chuckled, "Alice will like that." The young man's mood turned sour suddenly, "We'll find her, don't worry." Luke reassured.

"I can-not pro-tect her as this… but I can be with her now, not like before." A sickening feeling abruptly began to bubble up in the young man's chest. His breathing quickened as fear clawed at the back of his mind, "What if she not like me like this… if she is hurt… or, or…"

"Easy, if she loves you then it won't matter what you look like, she'll except you for who you are, instead of what you are, get it?" Luke touched the man's shaking hands and to his surprise, Absol did not pull away. "We'll find her, ok."

"Lampent say… you mean well… Help me, find her. Alice is more dan… danger-ous then you know."

"I will, but you have to eat and get your strength back. You'll just be in the way with the shape you're in now."

Luke sighed; feeling troubled, when he finally left the hospital after insuring that the Pokémon had eaten and was resting comfortably. As he entered the Pokémon Center he was greeted by Lucario and Lampent, who cooed softly at him. "Hey, guys… how's Emolga holding up? Has he stopped staring out that window yet?" They both shook their heads sadly, as they follow Luke to his room.

Alice's Pokémon were resting on his bed while Emolga sat staring out the window from his seat on the floor. Vaporeon rose from his place without waking the other two, and watched the young trainer intently. "Absol is doing pretty good, he's awake, but he still can't move around too much. The nurse said that he might have to be there another week, if he doesn't start eating more regularly."

Vaporeon shook his head; Absol had always been like that. He may not have been with Alice as long as the others but if there was one thing he had learned about his comrade, Absol was stubborn, rash, and overly determined. If not for his brash behavior their trainer would have taken first in the Pokémon league instead of third. Still the water Pokémon knew his friend always meant well even when he was tripping over his own two feet like a top-heavy barbarian.

The boy yawned slightly as he made his way into the bathroom leaving the others behind.

"I swear he can be most irritating at times." Vaporeon hissed.

"Who, Luke…?" Lampent asked, "He might be a bit stupid but he's nice enough."

"Mind what you say about my trainer," Lucario interrupted making the ghost look back at him quizzically.

"What did I say…?"

Vaporeon shook his head, "Not that one, the brutish thug that failed in his wooing of our trainer."

"Emolga…?"

"No you daffy ghost, Absol."

"I don't get it." Lampent drifted closer, "How is Absol a daffy ghost when he's human at the moment?" Vaporeon sighed in frustration, resisting the urge to shoot an Ice Beam at his comrade.

"It certainly does change his position," Lucario replied easily distracting the pair for a moment.

"Yes it does, and he'll be more reckless for it, you mark my words,'" the water Pokémon stretched slightly.

"Why would we want to mark your words, Vaporeon? What would we even use; a marker surely wouldn't work would it?"

Lucario slapped his forehead as the other snapped, "Oh go suck an egg you daffy ghost."

"How…? I have no lips." He replied smartly.

Luke heard a crash as he shut the water of and rushed back into the room dripping wet wearing nothing more than a towel about his waste. "What the hell…?"

Lucario stood in the middle of the room attempting to keep Vaporeon from killing Lampent. Zorua and Riolu were bouncing on the bed cheering on the pair of warring Pokémon, as the ghost stuck his tongue out to make rude noises. "Alright guys…" Luke darted forward to aid his Pokémon only to get blasted with cold water as Vaporeon loosed a Hydro-Pump, soaking everyone and everything in the room, say for the one think he had aimed at; Lampent. "Right, before I pull my hair out, I'm going to go and get back in the shower to warm up. You guys can clean up the mess." Luke adjusted his now soggy towel and reentered the bathroom, trying to figure out how to put Alice's Pokémon back into their balls or at least how to keep the peace between them.

Then again, Absol might be able to help, as soon as he was out of the hospital.

…


	14. Chapter 14

**A quick warning for those of my readers with slightly more queasier stomachs this chapter is dark and has some gore in it.**

…

**A Night to Remember**

It was late, when Absol awoke feeling restless. He chewed on his lip slightly; another nightmare… but this one had been different. In his dream he hadn't been a Pokémon but a human. It felt odd to consider the possibility of him actually forgetting what it was like to be a Pokémon. Though when the young man thought about it enough he could still remember what it was like to battle; the feeling of unleashing his power on his opponents still made him tingle.

But those thoughts always dragged him back to the present, and a nervous feeling always seemed to loom around every corner of his mind. He hated uncertainty, but now he understood what Alice felt whenever she was with him, always unsure of her next move or worried about being caught. Absol shook his head; he needed to find her, but in order to do that he needed to get to the Pokémon Center. Emolga was his only chance at finding the girl, and sadly enough so was Luke. The child at least knew how to defend himself, and was willing to help him.

According to the boy, that Jenny woman had yet to find anything out on the mole in her unit, and until her investigation was finished; she would not talk about the Shadow Case or what she was doing to find Alice. Absol and Luke had both been cut out of the loop completely for their own protection.

He looked over at the I.V. in his arm, and slowly removed it, hissing at the pain. He let it drop to the ground before attempting to get out of bed. The floor was cold to his bare feet, and the chill in the air gave him goose bumps through the flimsy paper pajamas the hospital supplied him to wear. He shivered slightly as he rose to his feet only to fall forward, pulling the heart monitor away from the wall and unplugged it. He pulled the finger monitor off and rubbed at his sore hand, huffing slightly at the tightness in his chest. Absol tried again to rise to his feet, crawling over the bed for support. The young man panted heavily as he pulled himself up onto shaking legs, and struggled to take his first steps.

The Pokémon's body still ached, but he was not about to stay in this hospital another night. He slowly straightened feeling unsteady as he left the safety of the bed, and stumbled through the curtain that separated the room. The other bed was empty thankfully, as Absol fell into it catching himself on the rail. He looked over at the window before making his way slowly over to it. He pulled it open with little effort and looked down at the at the bottom floor; it was a bit of a jump but he had seen Alice jump out of a window on the second floor before. The Pokémon climbed into sill and fell out landing in the bushes below.

Absol winced as he scrapped his arms and legs, tearing his clothing as he struggled to get up. His ribs ached making him wheeze, as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He had never seen Alice land quite like that before. He finally rolled forward hugging his sides as he looked around, unable to see anything like he used to. Human eyes couldn't see in the dark, but he could see the lampposts that ran along the parking lot of the hospital and headed for them. He had never been in a city before; Alice always kept him in his pokeball whenever they needed to pass through one. Humans didn't much care for his kind, a lesson they had both learned the hard way.

He looked out across the vacant parking lot. Pools of light cut through the darkness, and cast long shadowy fingers that made him shiver. Absol remembered a time when he felt safe to say among those shadows. But as a human he felt drawn to the light, fearing what it was he could no longer see. His mind played tricks on him as he made his way toward the street. Every noise seemed to give every shadow a face. Absol shook his head, he had to calm his nerves, if this was what it was like to be human all the time it was a wonder how Alice managed to stay sane for so long.

He rubbed at his arms feeling cold as he stumbled through the streets lost and alone. His feet stung each time they scrapped against the pavement. Absol glanced up at the dark sky, the buildings towered over head, while clouds blocked out the stars. He sighed; nothing looked familiar, until the lights seemed to open up, to display a small park. It seemed more inviting then the sidewalk as he slowly set foot on the grass. Even in the dark he felt safer among more familiar things. Absol stayed close to the lit path as he limped over to a lonely park bench and sat down. Above him hung several branches of a tree and among them sat a shadow figure, its eyes glittering in the lamplight.

Absol sighed ignoring the wild Pokémon, "Hello…" it meowed. "You're not much like any human I've ever smelled before." A gentle purr made the young man looked back up at those glittering golden eyes for a moment.

"I am not… li… like other humans."

"You understand me, but you speak like a man with a stutter. Curiouser and curiouser."

"I would speak as you do, but my growl is somewhat wanting." Absol did his best to speak smoothly, but it only seemed to make his words sound slurred.

"Humans have little need to growl, or grunt, squawk, or squeal. They move as they please, and do as they like. Tell me human I can smell the sterile yuck of medicine on you, are you ill, are you hurt, are you lost?" Absol shivered slightly as he watched the shadow move between the branches.

"I…" The young man paused for a moment, "I am lost… I look for a Pokémon Center. My friends are there… co… could you help… please?"

"Ah yes, that place. Humans and their pet Pokémon are as constant as traffic in the streets. No good trash, not much pickings, little shelter for an abandoned stray." The Pokémon purred lightly before stretching; its eyes vanish for a moment, as the Pokémon yawned and revealed a set of pearly white fangs. "I might help for a price. A warm bed and a meal seem fair for a tour."

"Deal…" Absol watched as the Pokémon leapt out of the tree to land gracefully beside him on the park bench.

"I am called Chess, by the way," meowed, a bony little Meowth, as he gingerly pawed at his matted whiskers, "And what shall I call you?"

"Absol…"

"A Pokémon's name not a human's…? Interesting…"

"As a human, I am Night."

"I like that name much better, it suits your dark hair. But we have chatted long enough; my belly is empty and longing for that hot meal. Come along and follow me."

…

Luke awoke to see his Lucario standing over him; his paw over his mouth as he hushed him and pointed over at the door. Lampent's soft blue glow illuminated every crook casting eerie shadows across the floor as the young trainer slowly sat up to see a ghostly figure hunched over in the far corner breathing heavily . The Pokémon turned on the bedside lamp so that his trainer could see that everyone was awake and staring at the young man.

"Absol…?"

A small Meowth mewed softly in response, as he sat down next to the young man's knee. Vaporeon leapt from the bed as Luke got up. "Jeez, you look terrible… how did…? Absol we've got to get you back to the hospital."

"No…" He snapped, glaring at the boy.

Luke shook his head as he crouched down, "Now see here, Absol… we've got to get you back."

"I said no… I find Alice, with or without you." He huffed slightly and leaned back to rest his head against the wall, "Chess is hungry, could you feed him?"

"Chess…?" Luke glanced down at the Meowth as he purred in response. "Oh… ah… yeah…" He jumped up to fetch a dish of Pokémon food for the starving creature. "Absol… look…" he set the bowl down. "You're not in the best of shape. You really need to finish recovering."

"I am fine, just tired… but we must find her. That Jenny woman has failed us." He sighed before closing his eyes.

"You… stuborn…" he shook his head as he sat down, "Listen; you told me the other day that Alice was dangerous. What did you mean by that? Is she really in league with this shadow guy?"

"No… she is dangerous not by choice. She was born in Viridian Forest… and has the power to make Pokémon stronger… no not make… force." Absol rolled his head slightly and scratched Chess's cheek, making the Pokémon purr. "When she was small, Garth made a machine and used it on her. It focused her power, channeled it into me."

"And you got stronger?"

"Yes… but not naturally… I remember the pain mostly, her screaming… tears running down her cheeks… She can make us stronger naturally, just be being near us. Alice even attracts Pokémon to her and yet doesn't even know how she does it." He yearned to see her face again, "It is a warmth; unexplained, and beautiful."

"You're getting better… you know your en… uh human is improving the more you talk. So…" he paused for a moment, "So you really think Officer Jenny won't find her."

"She has already failed… refusing to use Emolga."

"She talked to you today?"

Absol nodded, "Fool of a woman, her Haunter has more sense."

"Unlike some…" Vaporeon chimed in cheerfully, making Absol glare at the water Pokémon.

"And you're really going to do this?" Luke ran his fingers though his hair feeling exhausted, "No matter what I say or do. Well we can't stay here, and you can't go around looking like that. I think my brother's old hand-me-down pajamas should fit you but I'll have to go out in the morning and buy you some clothes none of my stuff will fit you. In the meantime; I think we should at least get you cleaned up."

"No we should go now."

"Now see here, I will help you find Alice, nobody deserves to be used like a tool or tortured, but you have got to listen to me. You are not as strong as you used to be, covered in sweat and dirt, and wearing those silly paper scrubs the hospital hands out to every hobo that crosses their door step. You need a shower, some clean cloths, and a bed…" He paused for a second before looking back at his bed. It was the only one in the room and the Pokémon Center was full up. He couldn't ask for a cot that would make Nurse Joy suspicious. He might use his sleeping bag… that might work though if the hospital reported Absol missing; Officer Jenny would search the Center first and ask a lot of questions if she barged in and saw it. "Well, I'll go and get the water running; towels are in the top draw there." The boy pointed at the dresser before vanishing into the bathroom.

…

Irvin shook his head as he slowly made his way down the hall toward the girl's room. Garth had asked him to come and join in for a demonstration. The man didn't seem to be in too foul a mood after their rushed escape that lost them Absol. The bracer had been recovered thankfully and the police had been stalled for the time being. Though the device was still in transit, Alice would need to remain as she was until they received the bracer, and that was if it were even possible to change her back. Garth didn't seem too shook up about the possibility of his niece remaining a mindless creature, but then he also seemed to be hiding something.

Irvin had to admit the transformation was fairly nice, but he rather missed the child's spunk. He pushed the door open as he entered the room to see an armored Pokémon sitting next to Garth. "I see you've given her some accessories. I'm particularly fond of the helmet."

"A far more superior prototype to the one I created for Giovanni, all those years ago. This armor is designed to suppress and focus Ms. Abigail's powers, so that she might better direct them." He motioned toward a Simisear sitting on a stool across from them on the other side of the room. "You recognize this Pokémon don't you?"

"Yes, one of our first successful transformed and captured subjects… He's just as lively as ever I see." Irvin replied sarcastically. The experiment had created more of a drooling monkey then a Pokémon worth the time to train for battle.

"Abigail my dear, would you be a peach and focus on that sad looking creature over there."

Irvin watched as the Pokémon turned her head, before a soft glow began to illuminate the visor of the helmet. Simisear screamed as he collapsed clawing at his face while angry blisters began to erupt all over the Pokémon's body. The man took several steps back and covered his ears as the cries grew louder. The Simisear was growing in size, and watched as his muscles contorted painfully. His fangs grew longer; his claws sharper, soon his howls of pain became angry growls.

Irvin removed his fingers from his ears to shield his nose, as the smell of burnt hair began to permeate the space. "That's enough Abigail," Garth placed his hand on the girl's head; slowly the glow faded turning the visor dark once more.

"That is disgusting…" Irvin cringed at the state of the Simisear. The Pokémon was curled up in the fetal position; blisters continued to erupted and form over his body while he breathed heavily.

"You think so?" Garth replied as though amused by the reaction. "In a few days the subject will heal and adjust to its new found strength to become a force to be reckoned with."

"And she does this naturally?"

"Yes but at a much slower rate, without all of the side effects."

"And you did this with that Absol of hers?"

"Several times…" Garth smiled, "Several times…"

…


	15. Chapter 15

…

**A Night to Remember**

Luke tossed in his sleep unable to ease his worried mind, until he finally just gave up on the notion of getting any shuteye. The boy rubbed his face as his Lucario looked up at him. He could tell that the Pokémon was just as bothered by the current situation they found themselves in. Absol was resting easily in the bed with Meowth lying beside him. Somehow the young man had convinced everyone but Emolga to return to their pokeballs. The pajamas he had lent to the Pokémon were baggy but then his brother was a professional body builder; his hand-me-downs tended to hang off anyone that wore them. At least the pants didn't fall down when Absol wore them. Luke always needed to pull them up; if he were a little thinner he could tie the waistband in a knot.

The young trainer sighed, he would have to teach the transformed Pokémon how to shave; the guy had a patchy beard blotted over his chin. He would also need to learn how to battle with Pokémon, no longer being one himself. He could only imagine how unnerving that would be, but they couldn't just barge in on these people unprepared. Luke scratched at his scalp before glancing back at the clock; six-o'clock in the morning it read. A quiet groan left his lips as he stood and dressed himself. "Um… could you tell Absol that I went for a walk, when he wakes up?" He asked his Lucario as he buckled his shoes.

The Pokémon huffed in response before watching his trainer leave the room, shutting the door behind him.

…

It was early morning when Garth finally met the new caretaker, Irvin had hired. The woman was pretty to look at but that wasn't why she had been given the job. His niece after all needed looking after. And though he was a cruel man he wasn't completely heartless. The child needed a gentle hand, a soft touch, or else her health would begin to suffer, forcing her hold over her powers to slacken. Garth smiled as he greeted the woman; he had already had a taste of his niece's volatile temper once.

"Greetings Sir, I am Miss. Mazy Winters at your service." She offered her hand, only to have it refused.

"I'm sorry my dear, but I have little feeling in my fingers." He showed her the massive burns, "The blaze killed my poor brother and his new wife, as well as my ten-year old niece. The Pokémon I wish you to take care of is all that I have left from that fateful night. Come…" He gestured for the woman to follow him as he led her out of the room. "Sadly, the creature is a bit, well… traumatized. She doesn't eat on her own; you will have to coax her. Brush her fur; make sure she gets enough rest. Now she does have a tendency to stare when that happens you will need to wake her from her trance gently, mind you, unless you don't mind being covered in burns. In the event you do frighten her, well… We will simply have to find another nursemaid."

"Y… yes sir… If… if I may ask. If this Pokémon is so unstable or… d… dangerous why…?"

"Because I care for her, it is not her fault for starting the fire after all." He opened the door, before showing her in, "Don't mind the armor, it aids in diverting her… abilities. She is the most unique Pokémon I have ever had the pleasure of owning." He smiled darkly as he ushered Miss. Winters into the room and closed the door.

Mazy, jumped as the latch clicked behind her and looked around the dark space searching for the Pokémon she was assigned to take care of. "Hello…?" She called before spotting a long silver tail. It twitched slightly as another similar tail joined it showing off its long blue guard hairs at the very tip before they both curled around the Pokémon's body. Silver armor glistened as it caught what little light there was in the room. Mazy stopped as the creature turned its head to take note of the girl. Seven more long tails swayed gently behind the Pokémon, but the nursemaid paid them no heed. What she saw before was a thin Ninetales, weighed down by the massive armor plates that covered her back and chest. She could see the creature's matted fur, soaked in sweat, or rubbed raw to the point of blistering beneath the heavy plating.

Slowly the woman approached the beast and removed the helmet with little difficulty to see a pair of bright green eyes gazing tiredly back at her. To her they seemed almost human-like, as she examined the creature's blank expression. Across her muzzle was an old cut, scabbed over and still healing; her mane held the remnants of brown stain or dye that was slowly fading back into silver. "You poor thing, let's get the rest of this…" Mazy looked down at the helmet to see circuits and wiring throughout the inside, remembering what Garth had told her, "Equipment off of you for a bit and get you cleaned up, shall we."

The woman sighed; this wasn't exactly what she had signed onto when she had taken the job back at H.Q., but she had lost her contacts when they were unexpectedly teleported this last time. Her cover had nearly been blown during that raid, and now she was stranded; taking care of a potentially dangerous Pokémon. Mazy scratched her head slightly; she had to admit this people knew exactly what it was they were doing. At each warehouse, fighting ring, and training post she had ever been at, were physic Pokémon stationed throughout the entire compound that would teleport goods and people in the event of a raid. It was what made busting them so damn hard. She had enough evidence to put Irvin away for twelve lifetimes alone, but now it would seem that she had stumbled onto something much bigger. She wasn't sure how deep Garth was involved but she knew he had to have his hands in the pot; Mazy just had to find out how much.

Ninetales whimpered softly drawing her attention back to her. The woman sighed gently before stroking the creature's matted fur, "Let's get you cleaned up."

…

Jenny cursed quietly under her breath as she made her way into the Pokémon Center, startling several young trainers as she stormed up to the counter. "Nurse Joy, where's your sister, Jade."

"Oh, she went back home to take care of her resort Pokémon Center, yesterday." The nurse replied happily before she caught sight of the woman's frustration, "Is there a problem, Officer?"

"Yes… yes there is, Mr. Night has gone missing."

"The young man found in the police raid at the foundry two weeks ago. My sister told me about him when she showed up. I thought it was a little irregular for her to show up and stay for a few days; we normally don't just leave our Pokémon Centers like that. She said you could contact her at any time, though, if you needed any more assistance with the investigation."

"Yes, where's his brother… Luke, I believe she arranged for him to stay here?"

"Oh, you mean that nice young man with the Lucario, yes, if you'll follow me I can take you to his room upstairs." Nurse Joy stepped out from behind the counter and made her way for the stairs. Unlike her sister's Center, hers was smack in the center of the city, and its design was much like any other building. It maximized the amount of allotted space by being built up. On the second floor was the intensive care unit, the floor above that was recovery, the fourth floor was for the rooms trainers and their Pokémon were allowed to stay in. There was a service elevator but that was primarily reserved for injured Pokémon or trainers that couldn't use the steps.

Once on the fourth floor, Nurse Joy paused to point at the second to last door and nodded to the officer. Jenny charged forward to knock, "Luke, it's Officer Jenny, I need to speak with you." She waited, but there was no answer from within. "Luke, open up." She called again, before trying the nob, discovering it to be locked. "Do you have the keys to this door?" she asked the nurse.

"Of course…" she fumbled through her pockets for a moment before stepping forward to unlock the door, allowing the officer inside.

Before them was a dark room void of life, say for the dark blue curtains rustling beside the open window. The bed had been made and the towels folded neatly, on top of which sat an Xtransceiver and a simple note with a single word scribed across it, 'Later'.

"They must have climbed down the fire escape," Nurse Joy replied gently.

…

Meanwhile, Luke found himself gazing up at Absol as they made their way along the road, having already left the city. The young man was busily rubbing at his freshly shaved chin, unused to the feel. "I still can't believe you're a full head taller than me. I knew you were tall but damn, your pants look like high waters." Luke shook his head, catching the Pokémon's attention. Lucario huffed slightly as he watched Emolga cling to the back of the man's head occasionally petting his black hair. Absol didn't even really seem to be bothered by this. In fact he was more patient with the tiny Pokémon's odd behaviors than he was with his own predicament.

Absol glanced down at his feet, "They will do… I still do not un… understand, the need of shaving."

"Trust me dude, you look a lot better for it. How's that nick on your chin?"

"Sore… but does not compare to my ribs."

"Well, there isn't much we can do for the bruises except to let them heal." He looked up at Emolga for a moment before shaking his head, "Why do you let him do that? I mean he hasn't stopped petting you since we left the Pokémon center."

"Why…? Does this uh… bother you?"

"Well, no but… I just was wondering about his story." Luke replied, "All of you guys seem to just let him do what he likes."

Absol paused as he lifted Emolga off his head and placed the tiny Pokémon on the ground, "Emolga, show…" he paused trying to think of a safe move the Pokémon could use as a demonstration. "Ah, Thunderbolt, there," He pointed at a large bolder on the side of the road.

The little Pokémon smiled as he slowly walked over to the rock and patted it.

"Go on," Absol coaxed before taking several steps back. He had to grab Luke's backpack in order to force the boy to do the same as he looked on in confusion. Lucario didn't need to be told twice, he could sense the buildup of static in the air; it made his fur stand on end. By now even the humans could feel the uncomfortable sensation also, as tiny sparks began to dance off the Pokémon's cheeks.

Absol pulled the boy backward placing himself between the pair, before shielding his eyes. A blinding white flash exploded before them, throwing the small group off the road into the ditch. The young man gasped as his ribs were jarred again, and quickly blinked the stars out of his eyes. Luke struggled beneath his weight as Lucario pawed at his face. Once recovered the young trainer and his Pokémon could not help but gape at the sight before them.

The stone lay cracked in two, still smoldering from the eruption. Luke rubbed at his face before looking at Absol to see the man's hair standing on end; even his hair felt like it was floating off his scalp from the static that still hung in the air, as he and tried to speak, "Is there any of Alice's Pokémon that are normal?"

Absol glared at him for a moment before picking up Emolga, "Compared to what?"

"Well, for starters mine…"

"No, well maybe Vaporeon… But you will never fight Emolga, he cannot control his powers… might kill o… opponite by miss… take." He let the tiny Pokémon pet his head again.

"No shit…"

…


	16. Chapter 16

…

**A Night to Remember**

Absol rested against a tree, with Alice's pink sleeping bag draped over his legs. It was still relatively early in the morning, and Luke was still asleep.

"How are you feeling this morning," Lucario grunted softly drawing Absol's attention over to him.

"Sore… Why the sudden… in… intrest?" He closed his eyes for a moment, "Normally you just ignore me."

"You were a Pokémon then, not a human. You are not as sturdy as you once were."

"How touching… you are looking out for me."

"Me and that Meowth that seems to have developed a liking to you," Absol opened his eyes looking back at the blue Pokémon. He hadn't realized Chess had been following them; his dampened human senses were driving him crazy with how much he tended to miss. "When we left the road last night you were moving very slowly, and you seem very stiff as well. If you wish I might be your sparring partner, we can start light exercises and build your strength back up."

Absol smiled, "Where is Chess?"

"I'm not sure, but he has been following us for some time," Lucario stood, and waited for the transformed Pokémon to follow him. Absol rose with some difficulty and stumbled slightly, still not completely used to walking on two legs. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just not… used to this body yet," He shook his head slightly as they moved farther away from the camp sight. Once stopped Lucario offered his palm as a punching bag.

"Human's primarily battle with their fists, and legs… Occasionally they resort to biting, and head-butting, however this is not always the most effective means of fighting, and usually ends badly. You no longer have your fangs, claws, or horn anymore.

Absol blinking for a moment as he looked down at his fists, "I miss my horn…" he sighed slightly as he listened to Lucario's instructions.

"Stand sideways, humans have more weaknesses then Pokémon, and lead with your weaker fist. You can follow through with a stronger punch when you use your entire body."

"Like a sucker-punch… only more?" The young man scratched his head, and positioned his body just like Lucario had described before trying to move. The jabs were nothing; the punches, with his dominate hand, pulled at his sore ribs and made him wince. He could only manage a few weak hit before he was forced to stop and catch his breath.

He began again until a shout caught their attention. "Luke needs us…" Lucario darted off with Absol trailing behind. When they reached the clearing where they were camped they came across a large trainer, dressed in a black leather coat...

"Luke…?"

"I'm alright. This guy just startled me." The boy replied making the stranger shrug slightly, "You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Sorry, kido, just figured I'd find a Pokémon battle out this way, when I spied the smoke from yer campfire." He replied, "Could place a bit o' a wager on things too." The guy, glanced over at Absol, noting the man's visible exhaustion and smiled, "I wager, two-thousand chips, that yer friend can't knock out my Machoke."

"You got it," Luke shouted as he grabbed Alice's bag, and rushed over to Absol as the young man looked between them confused. "Ok, Night, let's show this guy what you can do."

"But… I am not a trainer…" He whispered feeling suddenly nervous. He had seen Alice battle and knew the basics but he didn't know how to command the others.

"Don't worry, if her Pokémon are all as strong as Emolga, than you've got nothing to worry about. Besides we could use the money, just remember, all you have to do is knock out his Machoke." Luke whispered back.

Absol nodded, slightly before taking his trainer's bag and removed one of the balls. "Come on man, I ain't got all day. You gonna battle or ain't ya?" The trainer shouted as he summoned his Pokémon.

"Come on Night, you can do it." Luke cheered as Absol summoned his own Pokémon, not completely sure as to who's pokeball he had grabbed, only to sigh when Vaporeon appeared. "Well, that could work."

Vaporeon looked up at his opponent before realizing just what was going on and rounded on Absol, "You have got to be kidding me. You actually expect me… ME…? To battle against this behemoth like some brutish thug? Why didn't you call on the blasted ghost, you would have had a much easier time against this fighting type."

The Machoke stood there scratching his head, as his trainer folded his arms waiting for the battle to start.

"Will, you just use surf…?" Absol asked, adding a please at the end only to have the water Pokémon become even more upset.

"I will not just use surf, and wash the field out. I don't need to exert myself just to knock this brutish thug out."

"Hydropump…?"

"A moving target, freezing his feet to the ground would be far more sensible."

"Icebeam then…?"

"No…" Vaporeo sat down, making their opponent laugh.

"Your Pokémon isn't very well trained. This is going to be easier than I thought." He shook his head and shrugged, "Oh well, Machoke use Tackle."

His Pokémon charged forward as Vaporeon dodged the attack easily, "You are faster, and your defense higher," Absol huffed angrily, "You could walk circles around Machoke."

"I am not a thug," Vaporeon replied as he darted back toward the young man's side, "Furthermore, you are not my trainer."

"Damn it, you…" Absol was beginning to visably shake with anger as their opponent called out for his Pokémon to use Seismic Toss. Luke closed his eyes, he knew they would have some trouble working with another trainer's team but Absol was one of them, and had hoped they would at the very least try to work with him. Sadly the opposite seemed to be true, and even though neither of the humans could understand what was being said, they both knew Vaporeon was being disagreeable.

Vaporeon dodged again, nearly knocking the transformed Pokémon off his feet; Machoke was not far behind as he attempted to catch the smaller beast. This continued until Absol finally lost his cool. With one yell and a powerful uppercut, he laid out the Machoke with a single punch. The fighting Pokémon flew backwards unconscious, shocking both humans and Pokémon as the young man stormed off fuming.

Luke had to blink a few times in order to jumpstart his brain, as the stranger finally summoned back his Pokémon; his mouth still hanging open. "Um, Night works out…" The boy finally said to break the silence, "And he's not been having the best week… still, he did knock out your Pokémon…"

…

Absol paced muttering under his breath as he fumed over having to deal with Vaporeon, If he knew any human swear words he would be using them. At the moment he resided with just repeating his name, since he couldn't growl.

"Wow," Chess replied as he sat down on a branch and stretched, "My mother would wash my mouth out for some of those."

"Good to know… sounds choppy though." He folded his arms, "It would sound better if I could growl properly."

"Well, even with the slight accent, your ability to speak Pokémon is still decent," Chess purred softly, "So tell me what has your fur in a twist? I'm sure your growing audience is more than a little curious as to your predicament."

Absol, turned to see Luke and Lucario make their way through the underbrush. "Where is Vaporeon?"

"Back at the camp waiting for us to return… Man I've never seen a person just deck a Machoke and win before. My brother wrestles with his Pokémon and he's never…" The boy noticed the bruising that was slowly beginning to form on Absol's hand and grimaced, "How's the hand?"

"Hurts…"

"Ok…" Luke sighed so they were back to that awkward stage. "I take it you and Vaporeon, really don't like each other huh." That remark earned him a rather fierce glare, before Absol began to grind his teeth.

"He's a… poppy… no… pompous, stupid, shit…"Luke blinked for a moment as the man ranted on, "He cannot just do… Oh, no action is too much for him, labor… bad. He has to think, has to plan… Simplest thing like to Attack, no he makes it too com… compl… CONSUMMATED…!" He yelled, startling the boy. "We lost because of him."

"Whoa, Absol, we didn't lose the battle, you knocked out Machoke; we won."

"Not that… the League… We took third because of him." Absol snapped.

"Wait the Pokémon League? I've never even made it into the top fifty once we got there. But I..." Luke paused for a moment he remembered watching the finals but he couldn't recall seeing… He suddenly remembered the fight, "Wait that silver haired girl was Alice? Yeah I remember that battle, it was pretty bad ass."

"I got my… ass… frozen to the ground." Absol growled.

Luke winced remembering what had happened…

…

The stands were full as the camera panned in capturing the whole field in one sweeping motion. The cheers were deafening, as the cameras flashed constantly on the two teens as they faced off against each other. Alice, a young silver haired girl with bright green eyes, wore a dark blue dress, and kept her long hair in a thick braid to keep it from dragging the ground.

Her opponent was a young man with steel colored eyes; he was dressed in a white vest and purple slacks. He smiled as he summoned forth his Flygon, and Mismagius. Alice countered with Absol and Vaporeon. It was a perfect match up as the dark type took out the ghost in one hit. Each opponent had been limited to only two Pokémon for the entire match and it seemed as though the girl would clean the floor with this guy.

The crowd was going wild as Flygon charged forward to attack the Absol, unable to strike the faster opponent. The Pokémon then turned his attention on Vaporeon as he readied an Ice Beam. Absol decided to flank him when the Dragon's trainer ordered it to fly. In a blinding flash the dark Pokémon was frozen solid leaving Vaporeon alone on the field. It was over in a single blow as it struck the ground and caused a massive Fissure to open up across the stadium floor that swallowed up both Pokémon fainting them instantly."

His name was Johnson, Jonny for short, and he proceeded on to lose in the next round against a rather ruthless trainer, named Andrew. After the League however, Luke recalled that Alice had practically vanished. Unlike the other two, she had refused to do any interviews, preferring instead to just leave a note expressing her thanks and gratitude for the support from everyone who had rooted for her.

Later on some late night talk show, when Andrew and Jonny were asked what they thought of the girl's absence, they both had opposite opinions. The winner believed her to be a sore loser, a coward even while the runner up expressed his gratitude for her ability to keep fame from going to her head and hoped she would continue her training. It sparked an interesting fight between the two, on live television that ended up getting the show canceled several weeks later.

Luke shook his head; he still couldn't believe that that silver haired girl was Alice. When he had first met her she was more of a tom-boy than anything else. When she called out her commands then, she didn't have the overly exaggerated accent she had now. It was almost like they were two entirely different people.

"I don't get it… I never would have guessed those two were the same people."

"That was the idea," retorted Absol as he sat finally beginning to calm down.

"But why… I mean you guys took third. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You are missing the point. Garth…"

Luke suddenly put two and two together. Alice hadn't been running out of shame, rather running from her fame because it made her a target. "That must have been a really hard life for you guys… At least for her..."

Absol paused; he had never really thought about it, "I would protect her… always… We all did. Just as she protected us," he clenched his fists feeling useless before Luke interrupted his self-loathing.

"Well, we're not going to save her with just standing around like this. We need to get your team together so that we have a fighting chance against this Garth dude.

The transformed Pokémon smiled slightly, "Agreed." He knew what they were up against and maybe with the boy's help they just might be able to pull off a miracle.

…


	17. Chapter 17

…

**A Night to Remember**

The hallways were dark, and all in the mason were asleep, as Mazy slowly made her way through the house. She had only been working with Ninetales for a short time but already the Pokémon had begun to show improvements. She was eating freely and expressing herself more as though being reborn in her own way.

The woman sighed when she suddenly found herself standing before a large metal door that barred her entrance into the basement where Garth often dwelled with his partner Irvin. They were working on something but she didn't know what, none of the servants did. She looked down at her false key she had secretly created out of the master when she had… cleaned Irvin's room.

Thankfully the thing worked, Mazy had been able to get out of her room with it. Lucky for her Ninetales had simply rolled over rather than wake up to pester or follow her as she had recently begun to do. The undercover cop tried the key and with a soft clunk she was able to open the door with ease. The Hinges were well oiled and moved without a sound revealing a dark stairwell before her. The woman took a deep breath before descending down into the dark.

The air was stale and an unexplained chill seemed to radiate from the walls, making her shiver. Each step was hesitant, every breath seemed to take forever, even the beating of her heart echoed in her ears the farther she went until a near stumble at the base made her pause and recollect her thoughts. Mazy held her hand to her chest trying to still her pounding heart, before slowly setting off using the wall as a guide.

A soft scraping noise met her ears making the woman pause and listen. There couldn't be anyone up at the moment it was late and Garth never allowed the servants into the basement. Mazy gulped, swearing that she could hear something breathing until the wall suddenly gave way. She fell into a room, causing the automated lights to snap on, revealing an empty room with dark brown stains all over the floor and walls. A foul odor seemed to permeate the space as she noticed another door only a little further ahead. The undercover cop could hear something behind it gently scratching at the door, making the wood bow as weight was pressed against it. Mazy stared at the space just above the floor, feeling her stomach twist as she slowly approached the obstacle, reaching for the knob.

She paused when a flash of white caught her attention, and looked around. "Hello…?" Mazy stepped further away scanning her surroundings. The woman turned back toward her original objective when she realized that she was still alone and nearly screamed. Standing between her and the door was Ninetales, her green eyes gazing up at her. "Ninetales…" She felt a sudden surge of relief, "You startled me."

"Not as much as what lies beyond this door." The Pokémon replied making the woman pause, surprised by the creature's newfound ability.

"When did you…?"

"You should not be here; Simisear is out of his cage now… come the way back is barred to us." Ninetales stood and gently wrapped one of her long silver tails around the woman's wrist and guided her back into the hall.

"What do you mean, Ninetales?"

"My name is Alice, and if my uncle finds you, he will kill you."

"Your uncle, you mean your trainer?"

Alice paused for a moment slightly confused by the statement, and was unable to reply. She shook her head, trying to remember her life before, but much like a fading dream she was slowly losing the details. "Hurry," the Pokémon tugged on her arm and continued on down the hall.

Mazy felt better even if she could barely see, until she heard that soft scrapping noise return. "What is that?" She whispered suddenly feeling nervous again as the temperature in the hall began to increase.

Alice stopped suddenly flaring her tails, "Go away," she barked.

Mazy tried to see what the Pokémon was snapping at only to freeze the next instant. A shadowy figure was hunched over and lining against the wall; its knuckles dragging the ground, as it stared at her with lopsided features.

"Go away," Simisear breathed back, as he shuffled closer. Mazy could see heat visibly rolling off the Pokémon's body as the temperature continued to increase. "No one should be here…" he licked his lips, his voice quiet and airy still.

"If no one should be here then what does that make you? I'll tell Uncle you were here."

"The master…?" He stopped, for a moment before a crooked smile stretched across his face, "Yes… Yes, the master… tell the master…"

"He would be very mad at you, if I tell him where you are."

"Mad…? Mad…?" A look of horror flashed across his features making him take several steps backwards.

"Yes, very mad, now go away." Alice snapped for the last time as she watched Simisear slowly retreat. "We must continue…" She turned her head only to realize that Mazy was no longer behind her. The Pokémon panicked as she looked around for the woman until she noticed the door to the lab hanging open. Ninetales rushed into the space, to find the cop sitting at one of the computers; her face was illuminated by the soft glow of the monitor. "What are you doing, we must leave."

"I know but this will only take a second, I have to have evidence if I'm ever going to stop these people." Mazy replied as she navigated the screen, pulling up several files to read. She slowly skimmed through one before pulling out a flash drive and started the tedious task of copying the files. "Don't worry I'm almost done."

Alice whimpered softly as she began to pace the floor, "We have no time for this, if Uncle…"

"If I what…?"

Both women froze, as the lights came on, there standing in the doorway was Garth beside him was Simisear who nodded his head, "I told him… see…"

Alice backed away, behind her uncle stood Nidoking, his red eyes flashed as he glared down at her. She felt her heart jump into her throat as old images forced their way back into her head to make her ears ring.

Mazy swiftly pocketed her flash drive before rising from her seat.

"Strange how I thought you might be the mole in Irvin's operations. Still no proof, no action, wouldn't you agree Miss Winters?" Garth replied as he slowly made his way into the room. "However I cannot express my gratitude enough, Abigail at this wonderful chance you have presented to me yet again."

"What do you mean?" Mazy replied as she glared at the man, standing her ground easily.

"Why you, my dear; I get the pleasure of entertaining yet another cop. But at the same time you've managed to drag my poor niece back to reality. Overall I would consider this to be a rather good day for me, if it weren't three o'clock in the bloody morning." He put his hands on his hips shaking his head as he stepped further into the room allowing his Pokémon to enter. He lifted a pokeball and smiled, "I will deal with you later, return," he said to his niece.

Alice growled suddenly, dodging the red beam that shot from the ball, "I will not."

"You are acting more like your old self than I had expected, still that doesn't matter. As long as I control your pokeball, I control you. Now be a good girl and return." He tried again only to have the Pokémon dodge a second time, baring her teeth at him like a wild animal. Garth cursed under his breath before he summoned yet another of his Pokémon. Alakazam rose to his feet, "Hypnotize her… while I deal with this one." Mazy took several steps back as Nidoking drew closer.

Alice screamed, suddenly feeling enraged drawing her uncle's attention back to her as several dark spheres materialized around her splayed tails. Her eyes lit up for a moment as she sent the orbs sailing into the psychic Pokémon to knock him back. The lights flickered as the girl summoned yet another volley and attacked again.

Mazy dove under the desk to keep from being hit as the attack smashed into Nidoking and the old man forcing him to fall atop Simisear. Ninetales just stood there dazed from her own power, until Mazy grabbing her, "Move…" Alice snapped out of her stupor and darted out of the room with the cop half running half clinging to her as they charged down the hall. She turned only to meet a dead end and skid to a halt.

"No…" Alice spun around looking for another way out only to panic as she watched a dark shadow rising against the wall. "Nidoking…" she whispered

"Alice, this way…" Mazy grabbed her scruff and pulled her into a room with a tiny window, before slamming the door shut and knocking a shelf in front of it. "Can you use Hidden Power on that lock so we can get out of here?"

I… I don't know… I don't know how I did it in the first place… I… they're going to kill use…" She whimpered softly, "Ma… Master is so mad…"

Mazy slapped her, bringing the girl back to her senses, "I need you to focus and try. If we can get out of here we'll be fine." There was a bang on the door making the shelf scrape against the floor. The cop threw her body against the wood to help brace it. "Do it now," She screamed as Alice concentrated on the window.

"I can't…"

"Y…Yes you can." Mazy continued to wrestle with the door as the beast continued to slam into it.

…

Garth roared as he finally got his ears to quit ringing and summoned Alakazam back; the attack had fainted him in one shot. He rose to his feet ignoring the dazed Simisear and chased after his Nidoking, only to find the Pokémon attempting to break a door down. The wood was splinting under the assault but refused to budge. With one last strike, the door was finally torn free of its hinges. The Pokémon continued to force his way into the room shoving the shelf out of the way. Only to growl as his master entered behind him.

The room was empty, the window broken. "Find them," The man hissed at his Pokémon, he turned to see Simisear, "And get me Irvin… now." The two creatures jumped before scrambling to do as their master had ordered.

…

Irvin folded his arms as Garth glared at him, it was still very early in the morning, "First you become too big for your own good, then you hire an undercover cop, leave your key out where she can find it, and lastly allow your Houndoom to turn on us. You are turning into more of a headache than my dearly departed brother. Now why don't you tell me what we are going to do?"

"I…"

"Where is the bracer?"

"It's…"

"Still in transit… It's been over a week. And yet your incompetent stool pigeons seem incapable of transporting a single simple little item. Something you seem to fail at as well, after all you as a leader are only as good as your men." He paused for a moment before turning around, "If I have to deal with this little mishap myself, Irvin, your worth to me will be no more."

"Y… Yes sir… I'll take care of this personally; as for the girl… I…"

"Oh don't you fret about little Abigail and her pretty pet. As long as I have the bracer and her pokeball they can't get very far… Oh that's right I don't have the bracer…" He hissed at the man making him jump and rush out of the room.

He had to get that stupid bracelet; if he failed he was as good as dead.

…


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you everyone for your patients.

…

A Night to Remember

Alice felt herself falling behind the farther away from the mansion they got. She kept looking over her shoulder, as though something were pulling at her, or calling to her. The line she struggled to keep between remembering her humanity and the desire to please her master was growing thinner with each step she took, until the only thought she could seem to think of was how angry her master was.

Ninetales shook her head, Garth was her uncle not her master, and she hated the man with every fiber of her being. Though she found herself repeating this statement over and over again in her head as if to remind herself that she had to keep going, but the pull only continued to grow stronger until not even her persistent willpower could convince her feet to move.

Mazy glanced over her shoulder at the girl and paused, "Come on you can do it."

Alice whimpered slightly as she tried to take another step but she froze and shook her head, "I have to go back…" She couldn't believe she had said that but somehow it felt like the right thing to say. The girl turned around; though she was unable to see the mansion they really hadn't gone very far.

"Alice, we need to keep going." The officer replied, "They will be looking for us, we can't stay."

"I… I don't know why but I can't leave… Master… no Uncle… I…" Alice shook her head, as her thoughts became muddled with confusion. Was he her master or had she been human once? "Something is calling me… but I… I have to go back."

Mazy glanced toward the sky; it had to be close to noon if she were any judge. The morning mists had long since cleared and the chill on the air had already vanished replaced by a warm breeze as it pushed through the trees that surrounded them. "Let's find someplace to rest, for a bit." She waited for Ninetales to answer but when the girl didn't the woman began to worry. She had heard stories about Pokémon who suffered from something call Obedience Syndrome when they disobeyed their trainers or ran away, but she had never encountered it. Supposedly, inside older pokeballs was a device known as an Obedience Chip. It was used to force Pokémon to obey their trainers after they obtained certain gym badges that depicted rank or status. Because it was deemed unethical and cruel, the chip was replaced with the Victory Chip, a recording device instead of a subconscious programmer, which could induce sometimes painful symptoms like: unexplained spasms or twitching, paranoia, confusion, seizures, headaches, temporary blindness, and violent mood swings. It drove Pokémon to return to their trainers no matter their treatment, and if left unchecked the prognosis never ended well. Often the Pokémon would go insane or die. There were some cases were the Pokémon was able to power through the Obedience Chip's influence but those situations were often under extreme circumstances.

She carefully touched the Pokémon's shoulder making the child jump slightly, before they turned to find a place to rest.

…

Somewhere along the road Irvin found himself cursing under his breath. He had opted against teleporting directly to the factory, choosing instead to travel on foot in order to give his men more time in locating the bracer. The truth was they had lost the blasted thing little more than a week ago. He paused for a moment, before grinding his teeth. Normally he would chew Shale out but in actuality she had been the one behind the sabotage. Attempting to destroy Alice's pokeball had been the final straw after returning without the package. She was probably the reason behind the missing bracer. If only Garth hadn't lost his temper the Pokémon probably would still be alive… he paused for a moment… unless she was still fighting in the rings. Sadly he didn't know where Garth had sent her.

With a snap of his fingers his Alakazam had teleported the rouge Houndoom out of the room and to some unknown location before he had time to protest the loss of his strongest Pokémon. The man still couldn't believe that brain-dead Ninetales had managed to turn his Pokémon against them. Shale had even overloaded the Obedience Chip and burned out her pokeball, making the device completely useless, but the Houndoom had been created to have a strong will, and Alice's abilities seemed to intensify it at the cost of her own.

Irvin wasn't an idiot, but he couldn't figure out what Garth was hiding. Alice had other abilities, but the old man wasn't getting the results he wanted while the child was a Pokémon. He was after something else, something he had obtained with Absol. If only he had paid more attention to that blasted dark Pokémon. He shook his head feeling annoyed; perhaps it was time to look up the old man's brother. After all wasn't it he who insisted on the importants of getting to know your enemies as well as your friends.

…

Mazy cast a worried glance back at the ailing Pokémon; she couldn't stay with the poor creature, they needed help. She had no way to contact aid, or call in for back up, and she needed to regroup. Ninetales would just have to stay hidden until she was able to return with a force large enough to take on Garth and his army of super Pokémon. She shuttered at the thought, "Alice… Are you feeling better?"

The Pokémon whimpered slightly, unable to really reply. Upon arrival she had fallen into a fit of spasms that left her weak, and her fur muddy. Mazy sighed, the poor creature was suffering and there was nothing she could do. She had no communicator, no Pokémon, nothing not even a potion. Ninetales was also too heavy for her to carry even, "Alice, I'm going on ahead. I need you to stay here, ok?" She gently touched the Pokémon on the head, "I promise I'll come back with help alright."

"Oh… a… alright…" Alice replied closing her eyes her head had started to hurt and white spots were beginning to dance before her eyes. "You… you go on then… I… I'll stay…"

"I'll hurry back as soon as I can." Mazy carefully petted the girl's head before leaving. She had to get back to a town where she could contact headquarters.

Alice looked on with weary eyes before the pain blinded her. Light and sound was torture, and she attempted to crawl deeper into the cave, lacking the strength to stand. She whimpered softly as her body began to twitch again. Time was lost to her as sleep and pain pulled at her tired mind. She shifted constantly struggling to find comfort in the stones and dirt she rested on. The chill she felt from the ground did not aid her heated body and she fought to keep from crying out when the pounding in her head intensified, bringing tears to her closed eyes. Waves of dizziness washed over her, until she could scarcely recall the sound of her own name or the taste of cool water. The heat she felt made her feel cold and mouth dry while light and dark had merged together into a dark red to scorch her eyelids, adding to her confusion.

Somewhere in the darkness she heard a soft, deep, familiar sound of a gentle huff before a heated breath brushed over her tired features, and a warm tongue slowly scraped over her fur, clearing the mud, and easing her suffering if only a little. Alice sighed, comforted by the sweetness of her treatment, "A… Absol…?" She eased into each soft touch, remembering the kindness her dark Pokémon had always shown toward her. He was always so careful, even when he took her. Alice purred softly, "Absol…? I… I've missed you… so… much…" Ninetales lifted her head slightly feeling weak, until a large body pressed into her side, one that was far too large to be her Pokémon.

Alice whimpered slightly unable to move, until she felt warmth begin to seep into her sore joints, and heard a deep voice that made her shiver. "Be at ease, my little sister, I intend you no harm."

"Who are you?"

"Do you not know me?"

"I… I can't see… it hurts to open my eyes…" Alice whimpered slightly feeling her back begin to twitch again. It spread to the rest of her body making her yip as she twisted against the floor. A gentle mouth took hold of her scruff and aided in pinning her until the spell was finished.

"My sister, we are cut from the same cloth, born from the same ashes, can you not feel our connection?"

"No…" The girl wept nuzzling blindly into the creature's long fur, "I feel only pain…" She felt the beast's tongue return to clean her tears away from her muzzle. "I… I don't want to be a Pokémon anymore… I… I want to go home… Absol… I… I want… Absol…"

"Hush my sister, and rest… ease your mind and restore your depleted energies. So much you have given, both willing and reluctant."

Alice felt her head droop suddenly feeling exhausted, "I feel I should know you… but…"

"I am your elder brother born of fire sparked from the sky and cooled by the rains that came after. You shall know me, my sister in time, for now rest, and I shall return." Alice whimpered softly as the warm body left her side.

A dreamless sleep had taken her until she heard that familiar voice call out in her head. "Drink my little sister, I will return with something for you to eat."

Alice sniffed the air weakly before slowly crawling toward the scent of water to drink from a flimsy bowl, made from a large leaf. The waters cooled her burning throat as she slowly dozed off, spilling the contents of the bowl to soak into her fur. She felt herself whisper a name and whether it was from her dreams or her realization she felt sure she knew the identity of the Pokémon that was helping her. "Thank you… Entei…"

The beast paused to look over his shoulder with a knowing smile in his eyes before he continued on through the forest. She knew him, and that was all that mattered.

…

This chapter is a bit shorter, but I hope you all enjoy it.


	19. Chapter 19

…

**A Night to Remember**

Entei sighed as he looked down at the child; though the girl resembled a Ninetales he could still see through the Pokémon's cloak. Sadly the shadow he saw was all that was left of his human sister, and even that was beginning to fade. Her condition was also beginning to worsen, even after he had begun to take care of her three days ago.

The Pokémon shook his head, he couldn't risk moving the child, she was simply too weak to survive. He looked toward the sky; his sister Suicune could heal the girl, though it would take some time to track down his elusive sibling. He could not risk leaving the girl with another Pokémon; the exposure would only drain her strength, and though the affect would be unintentional the result would most likely be disastrous. In order to give was to give up.

He rose from his place to sit outside the cave. Perhaps for the time being it would be best to have her return to her trainer, while he searched for his sister Suicune. They would then return, to aid their little sister, and restore the balance she had been deprived of. He might even stumble upon this Absol, the child had spoken of and set him on the proper path. Entei looked over his shoulder, at the weak Ninetales, "Hold here as long as you can, my sister, but do not risk your life. Reprieve waits for you should you return to the hand that scorns you; a hand that shall be torn free upon my return."

Alice lifted her head weakly, still unable to see through her blinding headache, but she could sense the moment he was gone. The temperature in the cave dropped almost instantly, as she pondered over what the legendary Pokémon had said. The mere thought of returning seemed to ease the throbbing between her ears, and yet she fought the temptation. Ninetales closed her eyes and let sleep carry her away.

…

Luke glanced across at Absol as the pair of them hid in the bushes. The boy couldn't believe how time had flown by or how much the Pokémon had changed since becoming human. The man had retained some of his original Pokémon abilities, like his increased strength and stamina, but he wasn't rushing to use them. His training with Lucario had taught him his limitations and weaknesses. While capturing Chess gave him confidence enough to speak with Alice's other Pokémon, Zorua, and Lampent were willing to work with him as their trainer. Riolu, however, had the same opinion that Vaporeon had. Absol wasn't their trainer, regardless the circumstances. Still he was willing to help look for the girl, only because Zorua had batted her pretty little eyelashes at him. Saddly none of them, say for Chess and Lucario, thought of Absol as a leader.

Thankfully the young man's strength had returned, his speech had improved for the most part, and his healing had quickened since they had begun following Emolga.

Movement caught his attention drawing him back to the situation at hand. They had accidentally stumbled across something Absol had called a Pit. Luke could only assume he meant a fighting ring, were Pokémon had they abilities suppressed before being pitted against one another. The boy shook his head, it was a sick practice. He looked back at Absol and nodded, hoping they were ready for this, as he finished tying on a yellow bandana and moved forward.

Absol watched him before adjusting a similar cloth he had tied to his arm. If they were caught they would fay being members of an unknown ring and were one of the few people who had managed to flee the last raid. Luke signaled, coast clear with his hands, before the Pokémon followed keeping low to the ground. He paused to glance into one of the windows as he passed and shook his head. The place looked deserted. If there were people here they were just guards holding the grounds for the next match. They most likely had a few House Pokémon, champion fighters that were tossed in the ring to fight against challengers from other rings, locked up somewhere inside.

He shook his head slightly as he joined Luke, "I see what you mean by calling this place a pit." The boy pointed at a large hole that had been dug in the center of the yard. A chain-link fence wrapped around the shallow pit, a gate was placed on opposite sides to allow for easy access. The boy summoned his Lucario, "I need you to see if there is anyone inside." His Pokémon nodded before using Aura Sight to find the inhabitants before pausing to glance at Absol.

The young man nodded as he translated. "There is no one here." He stood and stepped closer toward the pit, "This ground is old…Stale…" Absol turned toward the house, as Luke pushed the door open.

"But I could have sworn someone was… ah…" The boy took several steps back, feeling scared. Inside were several dead men, their throats and faces were torn out.

"Wind maybe…" he paused when he noticed the boy frozen in place and stepped around him to see the carnage, "The wounds are cold." He moved around each corpse shaking his head, "Lucario, are you curtain," He paused for a moment after using the wrong word again, "Certain there is no one here?" The Pokémon shook his head with a grunt, "Something blocking your Aura Sight but…?" Absol lost his train of thought when he noticed Luke's slow descent into shock. The boy was pale and visibly shaking. He had never seen death to this extent; bodies maimed beyond recognition. He had to admit the stench rolling off them turned even his stomach. "Lucario, stay with Luke, Chess and I will… go on a head."

"But… what if, whatever ki…killed those men… is still here? The…" Luke swallowed several times feeling suddenly sick to his stomach.

"I know, Lucario, take him away… from the house, wait for us by… the tree line." He waited for the fighting Pokémon to comply and usher the boy away. Absol took another glance around; the only thing that could block Aura Sight was a lot of energy, or a psychic Pokémon.

He summoned Meowth easily before making his way toward the stairs. "What a mess this is? I haven't seen insanity like this for a long time."

"I assume you speak of… your other trainer."

"Not unless you call a morgue an insane asylum. No the trainer before last went utterly mad, the one after him was hit by a bus, making you, luck number three," Chess purred lightly as they made their way into the basement.

"I do not know if I am happy… or worried about that." He found the light switch with his hand as he trailed along the wall and flipped it on, revealing several empty cages pushed against the walls while feces muddied the floor. It was a scene he was all too familiar with himself, as he buried his nose in the crook of his arm to guard against the smell.

"If I were you, I would be both." The Pokémon paused for a moment before hissing sharply in the direction of an injured Houndoom. The beast growled in return before collapsing, Absol's eyes widened as he recognized the creature's blue fur. As he stepped forward movement caught his eye, in the corn sat a near dead Gardevoir, by the looks of it the pair had been battling with something very large. He noticed an enormous cage beneath the stairs with an even larger hole in the side. Whatever had been in that cage was most like responsible for the carnage upstairs.

"Shale…?"

"You know this one?"

Absol nodded before slowly making his way over to the prone Pokémon. Her breathing was shallow, and fur matted and scabby. "Tried to kill me once," He knelt down to place his hand on her side, making the beast shudder at his touch.

"You are not him…" She whimpered softly.

"Him…?"

"Ursaring… He went mad. We couldn't stop him."

"Where is Alice?"

Shale shook her head, either she was too weak to answer or she didn't know. The young man nodded, before carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying the Pokémon out into the fresh morning air. Luke watched in horror as Absol gently placed his charge down in the grass making her whimper softly as he grabbed Alice's bag.

"Do… Do you think that whatever killed those men and tore that Houndoom up is still here?"

"I don't know… Lucario should stay a…lert." He tossed the bag at Luke, "Heal… I need to get the other."

"Oh… ok…" The boy watched as Absol ran back into the house. He shook his head before removing several health potions, "You heard him, right Lucario?" The Pokémon huffed in response as he set the bottles he didn't recognize aside. With a Hyper Potion in hand he began to tend to the wounds, wavering every so often whenever he had to touch the injured Pokémon. Luke paused when he saw Absol return with a Gardevoir in his arms.

"This one too…" He traded places with the boy and grabbed an inky black potion that Luke had ignored, and used it. The affect was more immediate than a Max Portion.

"What is that?"

"Special… Black Market Potion, potent stuff." He only used half the bottle and offered the rest to Luke, "It is safe." The boy hesitated slightly as he took the bottle and used it on the psychic Pokémon, marveling at its affects.

"Why isn't Houndoom Recovered then?"

"There is a staro… stairoid, steroid in it that makes them sleep, I think, because it makes the immune system go on… overdrive." Absol tried to explain how the potion worked, he wasn't completely positive himself and resorted to repeating what Alice had told him when she'd used it. Though, not necessarily word for word.

"Oh…" Luke looked back down at the pair of Pokémon to see them both resting easily. "Why is it only available on the Black Market if it works so well?"

Absol shrugged, and sat back, "When they wake, we should leave. I do not… want to stay here too long." He glanced down at his shirt before pulling it off, the garment was covered in blood, and God only knew what else, stinking to high heavens. The Pokémon tossed it aside before rummaging around for another shirt in Alice's bag.

Luke glanced over to see a large burn on his side. He'd seen it a few times except for when he was a Pokémon; fur had a tendency to cover things up. "So how did you get that burn?" he asked as Absol pull a fresh shirt over his head, making the Pokémon pause, if only for a second. Lucario looked back at the pair just as interested.

"The fire…"

Luke tilted his head a little, he knew what the Pokémon was talking about but wasn't positive he understood, "The one that killed Alice's parents?"

Absol nodded, "I do not remember much." He smiled sadly, recalling just how many gaps he had in his memory during those dark days. "Hmm… I wonder where… Emolga get to… got to…?"

Luke sat up a bit straighter, "I thought you recalled him, after we stumbled across this place."

Absol shook his head, before glancing at Meowth, "Could you?" He pulled out Lampent's ball and summoned the ghost.

Chess mewed softly, "You realize he's probably just looking for more nuts."

"Yes but… there is a Ursaring… you two be careful."

Lampent cooed happily as he and Chess headed out to find the missing Pokémon. Absol sat back as he watched the pair of them leave. "Are you sure you want to send those two?"

The young man nodded, "Chess can track… Lampent is a idiot but very strong. They should be fine." Movement caught their attention as Shale slowly began to stir.

The Houndoom lifted her head to look at her rescuers, "My thanks… though you too look a little young to be in the yellow tag gang."

Luke jumped as he glanced down at the bandana he had tied to his arm. "Oops, I guess it was a good thing we weren't caught… Wait you can talk…?"

"I get turned human and that still shocks you?" Absol remarked shaking his head, making Shale turn her attention on him.

"Turned… human?" She sniffed at him for a moment, "Absol?"

Gardevoir sprang to life suddenly, startling the group when she sat up looking around wildly.

"Easy…" Luke touched the Pokémon's thin shoulders, making her jump. She began shaking her head and grabbed his arm, "Absol… what's…?"

The young man shifted his weight slightly, Gardevoir wasn't speaking, rather she was projecting her feelings of fear, and discomfort. It was more than a little confusing until he felt a flighty sensation begin to rise up in his chest. Luke felt it as well, as terror became evident in his eyes. "No, wait…"

A resonating popping sound filled their ears, and the cabin and forest vanished before their eyes.

…

Lampent, Chess, and Emolga slowly returned to the cabin, only to find the other's missing.

"I could have sworn we left them right here. We didn't take a wrong turn somewhere, did we?" Lampent floated over the place where the other's had been.

"Of course not, this is the only cabin." Chess shook his head trying to prevent a headache from building between his ears.

"You sure, perhaps we should ask someone for directions."

"Why, do I put up with this? I don't need directions, anyway there's no one here."

"Sure there is, Ursaring is standing right over there," He cooed happily pointing at a tall Pokémon, "It's so happy to see us he's purring."

"Lampent, he's not purring." Chess took several steps back, as the deranged Pokémon roared. Spittle ran down his chin as he stepped forward revealing a metal plate stitched into the top of his skull.

"Nah, he just needs a hug." Lampent floated over to the crazed beast, smiling brightly, "Hi there." Ursaring grunted as he swiped his claws through the ghost making him frown, "That wasn't very nice."

Chess chuckled nervously, "Great… I'm stuck with a moron, a nut, and an Ursaring bent on killing a ghost… What luck I have."

**...**


End file.
